Normally if the Dodgers score seven runs, they're going to win. They have excellent starting pitching, and a closer with 29 saves.
The downside, however, is the back end of the bullpen. And on Tuesday night, they showed just how shaky they are.
Josh Beckett didn't do much in his return from injury, but the trio of Paul Maholm, Jamey Wright, and Chris Perez did even worse in a 12-7 loss. Heck, even Brandon League was bad giving up two hits in 2/3 an inning, but escaped from getting charged with a run.
The Dodgers actually had the deficit at only 8-7 entering the bottom of the eighth... and then Perez got the call. That was already a mistake considering he entered the game with a 4.37 ERA. He got the first out on a popup to short.
Then he walked Gregory Polanco. And he walked Travis Snider. And he walked Andrew McCutchen. And to top it all off, he walked Neil Walker to force in a run. The floodgates opened after that, as League gave up three runs that were all charged to Perez, and just like that it was 12-7.
It was an absolutely embarrassing, pathetic performance by Perez. His ERA shot up nearly one full run to 5.35, and his WHIP is 1.42. The guy literally walked four straight batters. You would think he was imitating Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn early in the movie Major League, only this wasn't nearly as funny. It was frustrating and sad.
As I tweeted out during the game, if I'm Ned Colletti, I'm releasing his sorry ass and recalling someone like Paco Rodriguez or Jose Dominguez. Why not? Those guys can't possibly be any worse. The idea to bring the former closer Perez in was a good one, but it's clearly not working out. Get rid of him!
The two long relievers, Maholm and Wright, didn't exactly do much to encourage confidence in their abilities either. Maholm started off OK, getting four straight outs. But with the game tied 4-4 in the sixth, he gave up consecutive leadoff singles to Russell Martin and Ike Davis. Wright was brought in to clean up the mess, but instead made it was worse by giving up a two-run single to Polanco, an RBI single to Snider, and uncorking a wild pitch to score another, making it 8-4.
I've already stated plenty of times in the past how bad I think Maholm is, but Wright has certainly taken a turn for the worse as well. After pitching a scoreless inning on June 29 against the Cardinals, his ERA was 2.11. In his six appearances since then, he's given up 10 runs to raise it to 3.74. I don't know if he's tired or what, but he's obviously not the same pitcher as he was early in the year.
Right now, the Dodgers have a good closer in Jansen who's improved his numbers over the course of the season. J.P. Howell has been fantastic with a 1.30 ERA and 20 holds. League still has a 2.01 ERA, even if he still doesn't pitch big innings.
After that... UGH. That's about all I can say about some of these numbers. Brian Wilson, Pedro Baez, and Perez all have ERA's above five. The two long relievers aren't getting people out. It's not like Don Mattingly can call on Jansen and Howell every night, and when he doesn't, the results aren't pretty.
Let's see what, if anything, Colletti and the Dodgers do about this. Do they start to rev up the trade machine for bullpen help? Do they call up some arms from the minors? I would hope he does SOMETHING. If he doesn't, then don't expect to see these numbers change much.
Showing posts with label Pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pirates. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Show some fire, get a win
Good news on and off the field for the Dodgers on Monday. Hyun-Jin Ryu went seven strong innings, the offense got some clutch hits, and Kenley Jansen earned his 29th save in a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. The win keeps them on pace with the Giants, who hit around the returning Cliff Lee for a victory in Philly.
Off the field, there was definitely good news on Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez. Both X-rays came back negative on their hands, so they should be good to go any day now. Knowing the injury history of this team, it's a huge relief.
Back to the on field action, and it was two straight games where the Dodgers showed more grit than anytime in recent memory. They have pretty much been lifeless in the few games before and after the All-Star break, so any sign of waking up is a welcomed sight.
It all started with the guys at the top of the order, as both Dee Gordon and Justin Turner shared two hits apiece. Gordon scored a run and stole a base, his league-leading 45th. Turner hasn't started in awhile, but with Hanley sitting out, he got the nod at short and stroked a two-run double in the fourth to make it 4-0. He also scored twice.
Just as important as these two setting the table all game long was their defense up the middle. Gordon nearly had a fantastic diving catch off of Andrew McCutchen's bat, but still ended up combining with Turner for some big outs. Turner should definitely get more looks at short, as he not only showed the glove, but can hit much better than Miguel Rojas.
Even when Hanley is back in the lineup, Don Mattingly shouldn't be afraid to sit him when his bat isn't going. Turner plays MUCH better defense, and is hitting .301 with a .359 OBP in 63 games. Give him more playing time!
Maybe watching his teammates getting beaned in St. Louis is just the thing that Adrian Gonzalez needed, as he followed up his game-winning RBI Sunday night by reaching base all five times on Monday. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run, and two walks. When's the last time we've seen a game like this from him? Wow, it's been awhile. But you have to start somewhere, so maybe Pittsburgh is the place.
The final piece of the puzzle was Ryu. As I pointed out before, he was very solid in keeping the Pirates grounded. This was good for his phyche, as his last road start was getting obliterated in Detroit. Since then, he's won both his starts, giving up only two runs in 13 innings against the Padres and Pirates. He's now 11-3 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
I caught some of Baseball Tonight after the game, and Ozzie Guillen made a good observation that the Dodgers have played with much more energy the last couple of games. He's right. And what do you know - they won. They've made some diving stops, got some good starting pitching, excellent work from the bullpen, and finally had some clutch hits. It all adds up to wins.
Before the Sunday night game, I was also watching Baseball Tonight (I guess I really like that show), and it was Barry Larkin correctly saying how the Dodgers certainly have the big names on paper, but at some point, you've got to do it on the field. For two days anyway, they've carried it over to the game and gotten wins.
We'll see if this is fool's gold, or if it's the start of leaving it all on the field and not making excuses. Josh Beckett is lined up to come off the DL and start on Tuesday. All reports on him are very positive, so hopefully that's true.
Off the field, there was definitely good news on Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez. Both X-rays came back negative on their hands, so they should be good to go any day now. Knowing the injury history of this team, it's a huge relief.
Back to the on field action, and it was two straight games where the Dodgers showed more grit than anytime in recent memory. They have pretty much been lifeless in the few games before and after the All-Star break, so any sign of waking up is a welcomed sight.
It all started with the guys at the top of the order, as both Dee Gordon and Justin Turner shared two hits apiece. Gordon scored a run and stole a base, his league-leading 45th. Turner hasn't started in awhile, but with Hanley sitting out, he got the nod at short and stroked a two-run double in the fourth to make it 4-0. He also scored twice.
Just as important as these two setting the table all game long was their defense up the middle. Gordon nearly had a fantastic diving catch off of Andrew McCutchen's bat, but still ended up combining with Turner for some big outs. Turner should definitely get more looks at short, as he not only showed the glove, but can hit much better than Miguel Rojas.
Even when Hanley is back in the lineup, Don Mattingly shouldn't be afraid to sit him when his bat isn't going. Turner plays MUCH better defense, and is hitting .301 with a .359 OBP in 63 games. Give him more playing time!
Maybe watching his teammates getting beaned in St. Louis is just the thing that Adrian Gonzalez needed, as he followed up his game-winning RBI Sunday night by reaching base all five times on Monday. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run, and two walks. When's the last time we've seen a game like this from him? Wow, it's been awhile. But you have to start somewhere, so maybe Pittsburgh is the place.
The final piece of the puzzle was Ryu. As I pointed out before, he was very solid in keeping the Pirates grounded. This was good for his phyche, as his last road start was getting obliterated in Detroit. Since then, he's won both his starts, giving up only two runs in 13 innings against the Padres and Pirates. He's now 11-3 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
I caught some of Baseball Tonight after the game, and Ozzie Guillen made a good observation that the Dodgers have played with much more energy the last couple of games. He's right. And what do you know - they won. They've made some diving stops, got some good starting pitching, excellent work from the bullpen, and finally had some clutch hits. It all adds up to wins.
Before the Sunday night game, I was also watching Baseball Tonight (I guess I really like that show), and it was Barry Larkin correctly saying how the Dodgers certainly have the big names on paper, but at some point, you've got to do it on the field. For two days anyway, they've carried it over to the game and gotten wins.
We'll see if this is fool's gold, or if it's the start of leaving it all on the field and not making excuses. Josh Beckett is lined up to come off the DL and start on Tuesday. All reports on him are very positive, so hopefully that's true.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
The NLDS Hanley makes a return
The Dodgers scored early and often against the Pirates on Saturday night, got strong appearances from Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jamey Wright, and MAYBE got the benefit of a few calls (maybe). It all resulted in a 12-2 win, snapping a three-game skid.
But, the biggest story of the night was the guy hitting in the cleanup spot. That was Hanley Ramirez, and a 4-for-4 night with two home runs put him back on the map for the time being.
It's no secret - the Dodgers are a heck of a lot better when HanRam is swinging the bat and mashing the ball. Two games ago he was hitting .245 and looked to be about as lifeless as one could be. In only two games that average has shot up to .265. Of his six hits, two were homers, one was a double, and he's gathered six RBIs (five last night).
All I kept thinking about while watching this game was that this is the version of Hanley we haven't seen since last year's NLDS against the Braves. In those four games, he hit .500 with four doubles, a triple, a homer, four runs, and six RBIs. Quite simply, he was unstoppable. Of course, it would've been nice if he wasn't drilled in the ribs in Game 1 of the NLCS, as he only had two hits that whole series and clearly wasn't the same player.
Fast forward to 2014, and it hasn't been a fun ride to say the least. His defense at short has been so poor that it's been suggested he slide back over to third while Juan Uribe is healing his hamstring injury. The Dodgers could probably live with his mediocrity at short if his bat was doing damage, but up until last night, it hasn't. Sure, he's had a couple of three hit games, including one where he hit two homers against the Giants on April 6. But this season has mostly been a disappointment of one little groundout after another.
What got him going on Saturday night were a couple of hard hit grounder that found room for RBI singles. It was a little lucky, but he'll take it. After that, it was a couple of 412-foot bombs (strangely measured the same exact distance, which seems a little hard to do...) that showed everyone just how good he can be.
If you're Don Mattingly, you keep hitting him at cleanup and hope for the best. It was in June of last year when the Dodgers started to get healthy and play a little bit better before taking off in July. A healthy, confident Hanley can be that guy to lead the way again.
Other thoughts from the game:
* If you're wondering how in the world Jamey Wright can pick up a save in a game where his team jumped up 11-1 after four innings, it's because he went the final three innings in relief. Even I'm not positive what the exact rule is, but I guess no matter what the score, three innings out of the bullpen to finish out a win is a save. So hey, he'll take it.
* The other guy who DESPERATELY needed to get going was Matt Kemp, and he did by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He also found some luck like Hanley with hard hit grounders that found spots. He came into this game in a pathetic 0-for-20 slump, so any hit will be a welcome sight.
* Ryu picked up the win with six innings of two-run ball. He gave up 10 hits, which is high, but didn't walk anybody. It's probably a little weird pitching in a game where he's up by so much, because let's face it, it rarely happens. He pitches with leads, but not that big. He improved to 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
* All in all, it was a season high in runs scored. Considering they dropped the first couple of games against the Pirates with four runs total, they have to be very happy about this.
Zack Greinke leads the National League with eight wins, so he'll look to increase that by one on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. He'll be taking on old friend Edinson Volquez, who made a few starts with the Dodgers last year to so-so results.
But, the biggest story of the night was the guy hitting in the cleanup spot. That was Hanley Ramirez, and a 4-for-4 night with two home runs put him back on the map for the time being.
It's no secret - the Dodgers are a heck of a lot better when HanRam is swinging the bat and mashing the ball. Two games ago he was hitting .245 and looked to be about as lifeless as one could be. In only two games that average has shot up to .265. Of his six hits, two were homers, one was a double, and he's gathered six RBIs (five last night).
All I kept thinking about while watching this game was that this is the version of Hanley we haven't seen since last year's NLDS against the Braves. In those four games, he hit .500 with four doubles, a triple, a homer, four runs, and six RBIs. Quite simply, he was unstoppable. Of course, it would've been nice if he wasn't drilled in the ribs in Game 1 of the NLCS, as he only had two hits that whole series and clearly wasn't the same player.
Fast forward to 2014, and it hasn't been a fun ride to say the least. His defense at short has been so poor that it's been suggested he slide back over to third while Juan Uribe is healing his hamstring injury. The Dodgers could probably live with his mediocrity at short if his bat was doing damage, but up until last night, it hasn't. Sure, he's had a couple of three hit games, including one where he hit two homers against the Giants on April 6. But this season has mostly been a disappointment of one little groundout after another.
What got him going on Saturday night were a couple of hard hit grounder that found room for RBI singles. It was a little lucky, but he'll take it. After that, it was a couple of 412-foot bombs (strangely measured the same exact distance, which seems a little hard to do...) that showed everyone just how good he can be.
If you're Don Mattingly, you keep hitting him at cleanup and hope for the best. It was in June of last year when the Dodgers started to get healthy and play a little bit better before taking off in July. A healthy, confident Hanley can be that guy to lead the way again.
Other thoughts from the game:
* If you're wondering how in the world Jamey Wright can pick up a save in a game where his team jumped up 11-1 after four innings, it's because he went the final three innings in relief. Even I'm not positive what the exact rule is, but I guess no matter what the score, three innings out of the bullpen to finish out a win is a save. So hey, he'll take it.
* The other guy who DESPERATELY needed to get going was Matt Kemp, and he did by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He also found some luck like Hanley with hard hit grounders that found spots. He came into this game in a pathetic 0-for-20 slump, so any hit will be a welcome sight.
* Ryu picked up the win with six innings of two-run ball. He gave up 10 hits, which is high, but didn't walk anybody. It's probably a little weird pitching in a game where he's up by so much, because let's face it, it rarely happens. He pitches with leads, but not that big. He improved to 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
* All in all, it was a season high in runs scored. Considering they dropped the first couple of games against the Pirates with four runs total, they have to be very happy about this.
Zack Greinke leads the National League with eight wins, so he'll look to increase that by one on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. He'll be taking on old friend Edinson Volquez, who made a few starts with the Dodgers last year to so-so results.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Looking at possible NLDS opponents
The playoff teams in the National League are officially locked in, so in addition to my beloved Dodgers, congrats goes out to the Braves, Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds. It's safe to the NL Central is representing.
As of now, the Braves have a 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals for home field advantage, with the other three teams very close behind. So, with the exception of the NL East champion Braves, the Dodgers still could face any of the three teams from the Central.
And with that in mind, let's take a look at how the Dodgers fared against each of them this season.
Cardinals
Season Series: 4-3 Dodgers (7-0 Cardinals, 5-3 Dodgers, 5-3 Cardinals, 3-2 Dodgers, 5-1 Cardinals, 13-4 Dodgers, 5-1 Dodgers)
Thoughts: The 5-1 loss to the Cardinals was the game that snapped the 15-game road winning streak back in the beginning of August. And to think, that was a game started by Clayton Kershaw. No worries, as Ricky Nolasco and Hyun-Jin Ryu took care of business the next two days.
It's probably no surprise that the Dodgers dropped two of three in May, then won three of four in August. Like pretty much every other team they played, it all comes down to which half of the season it occurred. Back in May, Brandon League picked up the save in the 5-3 win. My how times have changed.
Pirates
Season Series: 4-2 Dodgers (3-0 Dodgers, 1-0 Dodgers, 6-2 Dodgers, 3-0 Pirates, 5-3 Dodgers, 6-3 Pirates)
Thoughts: All of these games took place before July, and after the Dodgers lost the last game, their record stood at 29-39. Considering how much of a mess they were at this time, it's actually pretty amazing they were even able to win four of six.
After sweeping the Pirates in their second home series of the season, it took until the 14th home series to get another one (late June against the Giants, which was when they began their incredible turnaround). In the big picture, both teams probably can't put much stock into these matchups because they're both so much better now. The Dodgers have gotten much healthier, and the Pirates made some big trades for Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd.
Reds
Season Series: 4-3 Reds (5-2 Reds, 2-1 Dodgers, 4-1 Dodgers, 1-0 Dodgers, 3-2 Reds, 4-3 Reds, 3-2 Reds)
Thoughts: As opposed to the Pirates' series, this is a better reflection of how each team might currently fare against each other. All seven games took place from July 25 and on. Toss out the first game, and the home team won every game thereafter.
Only two of these games were decided by more than one run, so getting the last at-bat appears to be very important. Plus, each team has a dominant closer in Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, so the margin of error is very slim. I doubt either team would run away with any game if they locked horns in a five or seven-game series.
As of now, the Braves have a 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals for home field advantage, with the other three teams very close behind. So, with the exception of the NL East champion Braves, the Dodgers still could face any of the three teams from the Central.
And with that in mind, let's take a look at how the Dodgers fared against each of them this season.
Cardinals
Season Series: 4-3 Dodgers (7-0 Cardinals, 5-3 Dodgers, 5-3 Cardinals, 3-2 Dodgers, 5-1 Cardinals, 13-4 Dodgers, 5-1 Dodgers)
Thoughts: The 5-1 loss to the Cardinals was the game that snapped the 15-game road winning streak back in the beginning of August. And to think, that was a game started by Clayton Kershaw. No worries, as Ricky Nolasco and Hyun-Jin Ryu took care of business the next two days.
It's probably no surprise that the Dodgers dropped two of three in May, then won three of four in August. Like pretty much every other team they played, it all comes down to which half of the season it occurred. Back in May, Brandon League picked up the save in the 5-3 win. My how times have changed.
Pirates
Season Series: 4-2 Dodgers (3-0 Dodgers, 1-0 Dodgers, 6-2 Dodgers, 3-0 Pirates, 5-3 Dodgers, 6-3 Pirates)
Thoughts: All of these games took place before July, and after the Dodgers lost the last game, their record stood at 29-39. Considering how much of a mess they were at this time, it's actually pretty amazing they were even able to win four of six.
After sweeping the Pirates in their second home series of the season, it took until the 14th home series to get another one (late June against the Giants, which was when they began their incredible turnaround). In the big picture, both teams probably can't put much stock into these matchups because they're both so much better now. The Dodgers have gotten much healthier, and the Pirates made some big trades for Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd.
Reds
Season Series: 4-3 Reds (5-2 Reds, 2-1 Dodgers, 4-1 Dodgers, 1-0 Dodgers, 3-2 Reds, 4-3 Reds, 3-2 Reds)
Thoughts: As opposed to the Pirates' series, this is a better reflection of how each team might currently fare against each other. All seven games took place from July 25 and on. Toss out the first game, and the home team won every game thereafter.
Only two of these games were decided by more than one run, so getting the last at-bat appears to be very important. Plus, each team has a dominant closer in Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, so the margin of error is very slim. I doubt either team would run away with any game if they locked horns in a five or seven-game series.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Hanley's return does nothing to help the offense
Trey Hillman was given the reigns to the Dodgers on Friday night, as Don Mattingly was serving his one-game suspension. Hillman was able to pencil in Yasiel Puig leading off, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez in the 3-4 spots, and A.J. Ellis back behind the plate.
Did it do anything to help the offense? Nope.
The red hot Jeff Locke completely overwhelmed them for seven innings, and the offense failed (again) to cash in with runners on in the final two innings. A two-run double by Andrew McCutchen early in the game was more than enough for the Pirates to win, 3-0. And with that, the Dodgers have fallen 10 games under .500.
Puig avoided suspension and was back in the leadoff spot. He laid down a perfect bunt past Locke to open the game. Naturally, that led to a double play ball from Nick Punto, one of two the Dodgers grounded into this game.
The Pirates blew two on with none out in the second, but McCutchen made sure that didn't happen again in the third. The top of the order of Alex Presley and old friend Russell Martin singled to start. McCutchen lined one down the right field line to score both, and it was 2-0.
A hitter in the heart of the order coming through with runners on? Hmm... must be nice.
Locke cruised through seven, and J.P. Howell took over in the sixth and was flawless for two innings. Mark Melancon took over for the hold in the eighth. With one out, Andre Ethier legged out an infield single, then Jerry Hairston hit a two-out double. Hillman turned to Juan Uribe to drive them in, but he struck out.
Matt Guerrier took the ball from Howell, and has been the case for his three miserable years with the Dodgers, he couldn't get the job done. Both McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez singled. Paco Rodriguez only allowed a sac-fly RBI to Neil Walker before striking out the next two.
That led to the ninth and the dominating Jason Grilli. It was a tough situation, but Puig starting things with an infield single. Punto executed a perfect bunt along the third base line to get a couple on.
At the very least, the Dodgers could hope to score both of them while someone else could step up to tie it. The meat of the order was due up in Gonzalez, Ramirez, and Mark Ellis. How did it go?
Strikeout. Popup to catcher behind the plate. Strikeout. That's right, not a single ball was even put into play by the 3-5 hitters. It was absolutely pathetic.
This game summed up everything wrong with the Dodgers: no clutch hitting, bad bullpen work, and no ability to step up in tight situations. Fife was good enough, tossing five innings for six hits, two runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. Howell and Rodriguez were also great, but Guerrier flat out stunk. Like I said before, that's his legacy with this team.
The offense managed six hits and one walk the whole game. Hairston had the only extra-base hit, and Puig was the only one with two hits. Ramirez, Ellis, Gonzalez, and Uribe all failed to get a hit with RISP. I don't care what the pitching does, with an offense as putrid as this, there's no way this team can string off a bunch of wins to get back into things. It's just painful.
This weekend will feature the Dodgers running their two aces out to the mound in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Kershaw goes first on Saturday. Forget about throwing a complete game shutout, the Dodgers need him to hit a homer like he did on Opening Day.
Did it do anything to help the offense? Nope.
The red hot Jeff Locke completely overwhelmed them for seven innings, and the offense failed (again) to cash in with runners on in the final two innings. A two-run double by Andrew McCutchen early in the game was more than enough for the Pirates to win, 3-0. And with that, the Dodgers have fallen 10 games under .500.
Puig avoided suspension and was back in the leadoff spot. He laid down a perfect bunt past Locke to open the game. Naturally, that led to a double play ball from Nick Punto, one of two the Dodgers grounded into this game.
The Pirates blew two on with none out in the second, but McCutchen made sure that didn't happen again in the third. The top of the order of Alex Presley and old friend Russell Martin singled to start. McCutchen lined one down the right field line to score both, and it was 2-0.
A hitter in the heart of the order coming through with runners on? Hmm... must be nice.
Locke cruised through seven, and J.P. Howell took over in the sixth and was flawless for two innings. Mark Melancon took over for the hold in the eighth. With one out, Andre Ethier legged out an infield single, then Jerry Hairston hit a two-out double. Hillman turned to Juan Uribe to drive them in, but he struck out.
Matt Guerrier took the ball from Howell, and has been the case for his three miserable years with the Dodgers, he couldn't get the job done. Both McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez singled. Paco Rodriguez only allowed a sac-fly RBI to Neil Walker before striking out the next two.
That led to the ninth and the dominating Jason Grilli. It was a tough situation, but Puig starting things with an infield single. Punto executed a perfect bunt along the third base line to get a couple on.
At the very least, the Dodgers could hope to score both of them while someone else could step up to tie it. The meat of the order was due up in Gonzalez, Ramirez, and Mark Ellis. How did it go?
Strikeout. Popup to catcher behind the plate. Strikeout. That's right, not a single ball was even put into play by the 3-5 hitters. It was absolutely pathetic.
This game summed up everything wrong with the Dodgers: no clutch hitting, bad bullpen work, and no ability to step up in tight situations. Fife was good enough, tossing five innings for six hits, two runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. Howell and Rodriguez were also great, but Guerrier flat out stunk. Like I said before, that's his legacy with this team.
The offense managed six hits and one walk the whole game. Hairston had the only extra-base hit, and Puig was the only one with two hits. Ramirez, Ellis, Gonzalez, and Uribe all failed to get a hit with RISP. I don't care what the pitching does, with an offense as putrid as this, there's no way this team can string off a bunch of wins to get back into things. It's just painful.
This weekend will feature the Dodgers running their two aces out to the mound in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Kershaw goes first on Saturday. Forget about throwing a complete game shutout, the Dodgers need him to hit a homer like he did on Opening Day.
Monday, April 8, 2013
An offensive explosion!... and the Dodgers sweep the Pirates
Hey, you can't blame me for getting exciting. When you watch your favorite team rank nearly dead last in every offensive category to open the season, even six runs would get you excited, too.
The Dodgers began their first homestand of the season at a 4-2 clip thanks to a strong start from Hyun-Jin Ryu and some production with runners on base. Despite being down two runs before you barely got comfortable in your favorite chair watching this, the bats fought back to turn this into a weekend sweep, 6-2.
The only blemish on the day came right away. Starling Marte singled leading off, one of his two hits on the day. Ryu got Neil Walker popping up for the first out, but Andrew McCutchen cranked a two-run shot out to left. Believe it or not, that homer was the first of the entire season for the Pirates, who certainly aren't giving their fans much of a reason to believe they'll finally get over the .500 mark for the first time since... well, forever.
After that, it was all Dodgers. It started in the bottom of the frame, as they got those two runs right back. Nick Punto got the start at second in place of the resting Mark Ellis, who eventually entered the game later anyway, and singled. Matt Kemp has had a slow start to the season, which isn't a whole lot different than the others, but his double put two on. Adrian Gonzalez singled up the middle to score two, and it was 2-2.
The healthy Carl Crawford continued his hot start with a double to center leading off the third. Punto's bunt got him to third, and he scored on Kemp's sac-fly, making it 3-2. Get him on, get him over, and get him in. That's National League baseball, and something the Dodgers need to get better at if they want their offense to catch up to their pitching.
Crawford again started a rally in the fifth by singling. Punto singled next, but Kemp grounded into the dreaded DP. Gonzalez picked him up with another RBI single for the 4-2 lead.
Ryu struck out Pedro Alvarez to begin the seventh, which isn't that big of a deal considering EVERYBODY strikes that guy out. He was then lifted for Ronald Belisario. Jose Tabata reached on an infield single and an errant throw by Punto at third, but nothing came of it.
The bottom of the seventh brought the year's first shocking moment. Nope, Clayton Kershaw didn't homer again. But Justin Sellers did! His first hit of the season cleared the fence in left, and it was 5-2. Walks to Punto and Kemp again gave Gonzalez an RBI opportunity, and he delivered by singling home Punto for 6-2 advantage.
Belisario made it through the seventh in order. Matt Guerrier (remember him?) entered in the ninth... and was quickly yanked after a one-out walk to light-hitting catcher Michael McKenry. Good call by Don Mattingly, who clearly was annoyed, and rightfully so. J.P. Howell struck out Alvarez and Clint Barmes to seal the deal.
Ryu bounced back from a shaky first start in which he surrendered 10 hits in just over six innings to the Giants to be much more efficient in this one. Here he lasted 6 1/3 innings for three hits, two runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. Get rid of the first inning, and he gave up only one hit and one walk the rest of the way. He clearly found a groove, and it showed.
Of course, it was good to see some production out of the bats, who haven't had much to be happy out so far. Granted, it's still so early in the season, but 11 runs in five games is pretty poor. In this game, they went 3-for-8 with RISP, including the two-out, two-run single by Gonzalez to tie things up in the first.
Crawford and Gonzalez are both raking with their averages of .450 and .400, respectively. Now they just need Kemp and his .100 to get going, along with Andre Ethier's modest .278, who got the day off.
Juan Uribe went 0-for-3, keeping his average at an incredible .000. Quit playing him! Geez!
Playing in front of a packed Dodger Stadium is always fun, but now the Dodgers will take their talents on the road for the next six: three with the Padres, followed by three with the Diamondbacks. The Padres are still atrocious, and have pretty much zero impact players left on that roster. Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, and even Greg Vaughn are rolling over in their graves. The DBacks look good so far at 5-1, so that will be a good test.
Josh Beckett will look to get his first win on Tuesday against Clayton Richard in the Padres' home opener.
The Dodgers began their first homestand of the season at a 4-2 clip thanks to a strong start from Hyun-Jin Ryu and some production with runners on base. Despite being down two runs before you barely got comfortable in your favorite chair watching this, the bats fought back to turn this into a weekend sweep, 6-2.
The only blemish on the day came right away. Starling Marte singled leading off, one of his two hits on the day. Ryu got Neil Walker popping up for the first out, but Andrew McCutchen cranked a two-run shot out to left. Believe it or not, that homer was the first of the entire season for the Pirates, who certainly aren't giving their fans much of a reason to believe they'll finally get over the .500 mark for the first time since... well, forever.
After that, it was all Dodgers. It started in the bottom of the frame, as they got those two runs right back. Nick Punto got the start at second in place of the resting Mark Ellis, who eventually entered the game later anyway, and singled. Matt Kemp has had a slow start to the season, which isn't a whole lot different than the others, but his double put two on. Adrian Gonzalez singled up the middle to score two, and it was 2-2.
The healthy Carl Crawford continued his hot start with a double to center leading off the third. Punto's bunt got him to third, and he scored on Kemp's sac-fly, making it 3-2. Get him on, get him over, and get him in. That's National League baseball, and something the Dodgers need to get better at if they want their offense to catch up to their pitching.
Crawford again started a rally in the fifth by singling. Punto singled next, but Kemp grounded into the dreaded DP. Gonzalez picked him up with another RBI single for the 4-2 lead.
Ryu struck out Pedro Alvarez to begin the seventh, which isn't that big of a deal considering EVERYBODY strikes that guy out. He was then lifted for Ronald Belisario. Jose Tabata reached on an infield single and an errant throw by Punto at third, but nothing came of it.
The bottom of the seventh brought the year's first shocking moment. Nope, Clayton Kershaw didn't homer again. But Justin Sellers did! His first hit of the season cleared the fence in left, and it was 5-2. Walks to Punto and Kemp again gave Gonzalez an RBI opportunity, and he delivered by singling home Punto for 6-2 advantage.
Belisario made it through the seventh in order. Matt Guerrier (remember him?) entered in the ninth... and was quickly yanked after a one-out walk to light-hitting catcher Michael McKenry. Good call by Don Mattingly, who clearly was annoyed, and rightfully so. J.P. Howell struck out Alvarez and Clint Barmes to seal the deal.
Ryu bounced back from a shaky first start in which he surrendered 10 hits in just over six innings to the Giants to be much more efficient in this one. Here he lasted 6 1/3 innings for three hits, two runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. Get rid of the first inning, and he gave up only one hit and one walk the rest of the way. He clearly found a groove, and it showed.
Of course, it was good to see some production out of the bats, who haven't had much to be happy out so far. Granted, it's still so early in the season, but 11 runs in five games is pretty poor. In this game, they went 3-for-8 with RISP, including the two-out, two-run single by Gonzalez to tie things up in the first.
Crawford and Gonzalez are both raking with their averages of .450 and .400, respectively. Now they just need Kemp and his .100 to get going, along with Andre Ethier's modest .278, who got the day off.
Juan Uribe went 0-for-3, keeping his average at an incredible .000. Quit playing him! Geez!
Playing in front of a packed Dodger Stadium is always fun, but now the Dodgers will take their talents on the road for the next six: three with the Padres, followed by three with the Diamondbacks. The Padres are still atrocious, and have pretty much zero impact players left on that roster. Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, and even Greg Vaughn are rolling over in their graves. The DBacks look good so far at 5-1, so that will be a good test.
Josh Beckett will look to get his first win on Tuesday against Clayton Richard in the Padres' home opener.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Kershaw overcomes Dodgers' anemic offense
Five games into the 2013 season, there's two things you can count on from the Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw can barely be hit, and the offense can barely get a hit.
Despite only one run of support, Kershaw still found a way to win with seven innings of shutout ball as the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 1-0. It's the second straight game the Pirates have been blanked.
Kershaw started the game off very poorly - he gave up a single to Starling Marte. If I'm Don Mattingly, I'm yanking him right there. With the Dodgers' offense, they can't possibly afford to have their starting pitcher give up leadoff singles. Unacceptable.
OK, back to reality. Marte ran himself out of the inning by trying to advance to third from second on a grounder to short, and was easily tagged out. Carl Crawford drew a walk leading off his half of the inning, stole second... and stayed right there when A.J. Burnett struck out the side.
The only run of the game came in the third. With two outs, Crawford again got on base with an infield single. And once again, he stole second. Mark Ellis came through with an RBI single to left, and it was 1-0.
With the way Kershaw is pitching right now, one run is all he would need. He retired 17 straight hitters from innings 1-6, with another single by Marte with two outs in the sixth breaking the streak.
The Dodgers blew a huge opportunity to at least score another run in the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez singled with one out, followed by a walk to Andre Ethier and single by A.J. Ellis. That brought up the struggling Luis Cruz and Justin Sellers. They have a combined zero hits this year. And guess what? It stayed that way when Cruz popped up and Sellers grounded into a forceout. Ugh.
Paco Rodriguez took the ball to start the eighth and got Pedro Alvarez swinging to continue his strong start to the season. Kenley Jansen got the final two outs. They bridged the gap to Brandon League, who walked one en route to his second save.
Every start by Kershaw seems to bring the new challenge of coming up with more ways to describe just how awesome he is. After going seven innings of two-hit ball with nine strikeouts, here I am again with that challenge. But let's just keep it simple - he's the best in the business right now. Other teams can have Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg, and Felix Hernandez. I'll take Kershaw.
I'll also take the work of the bullpen, who have not given up a run in five games covering 10 1/3 innings. Coming into this season, I knew that if the Dodgers had the lead after six innings, they're going to be very hard to beat. So far, so good on that thought.
The flip side, of course, is the offense. Wow are they bad right now. They rank nearly dead last in every category, and can thank their pitching staff for helping to make the Giants and Pirates just as bad or even worse. It's hard to imagine a team scoring 11 total runs in five games, yet still winning three of them. I guess they're doing just enough to squeeze out victories.
Maybe Sunday will be the day that Matt Kemp, Gonzalez, Ethier, and the rest of the boys bust out for 10+ runs. It has to happen at some point, right? Hyun-Jin Ryu would appreciate it as he looks for his first win.
Despite only one run of support, Kershaw still found a way to win with seven innings of shutout ball as the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 1-0. It's the second straight game the Pirates have been blanked.
Kershaw started the game off very poorly - he gave up a single to Starling Marte. If I'm Don Mattingly, I'm yanking him right there. With the Dodgers' offense, they can't possibly afford to have their starting pitcher give up leadoff singles. Unacceptable.
OK, back to reality. Marte ran himself out of the inning by trying to advance to third from second on a grounder to short, and was easily tagged out. Carl Crawford drew a walk leading off his half of the inning, stole second... and stayed right there when A.J. Burnett struck out the side.
The only run of the game came in the third. With two outs, Crawford again got on base with an infield single. And once again, he stole second. Mark Ellis came through with an RBI single to left, and it was 1-0.
With the way Kershaw is pitching right now, one run is all he would need. He retired 17 straight hitters from innings 1-6, with another single by Marte with two outs in the sixth breaking the streak.
The Dodgers blew a huge opportunity to at least score another run in the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez singled with one out, followed by a walk to Andre Ethier and single by A.J. Ellis. That brought up the struggling Luis Cruz and Justin Sellers. They have a combined zero hits this year. And guess what? It stayed that way when Cruz popped up and Sellers grounded into a forceout. Ugh.
Paco Rodriguez took the ball to start the eighth and got Pedro Alvarez swinging to continue his strong start to the season. Kenley Jansen got the final two outs. They bridged the gap to Brandon League, who walked one en route to his second save.
Every start by Kershaw seems to bring the new challenge of coming up with more ways to describe just how awesome he is. After going seven innings of two-hit ball with nine strikeouts, here I am again with that challenge. But let's just keep it simple - he's the best in the business right now. Other teams can have Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg, and Felix Hernandez. I'll take Kershaw.
I'll also take the work of the bullpen, who have not given up a run in five games covering 10 1/3 innings. Coming into this season, I knew that if the Dodgers had the lead after six innings, they're going to be very hard to beat. So far, so good on that thought.
The flip side, of course, is the offense. Wow are they bad right now. They rank nearly dead last in every category, and can thank their pitching staff for helping to make the Giants and Pirates just as bad or even worse. It's hard to imagine a team scoring 11 total runs in five games, yet still winning three of them. I guess they're doing just enough to squeeze out victories.
Maybe Sunday will be the day that Matt Kemp, Gonzalez, Ethier, and the rest of the boys bust out for 10+ runs. It has to happen at some point, right? Hyun-Jin Ryu would appreciate it as he looks for his first win.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Dodgers even up on Greinke's terrific debut
After one start, Zack Greinke's $147 million contract looks like money well spent.
The Pirates had no answers for Greinke for six-plus innings, and the big three of Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Adrian Gonzalez drove in the runs as the Dodgers got the win, 3-0. They're now back to .500 at 2-2 on the season.
We've all seen the Dodgers' struggles offensively in the Giants series, as they only managed seven runs in three games against their strong pitching staff. They went down in order in the first, but with two outs in the second, Ethier took a high fastball out to right for the 1-0 lead.
Neither team could get much of anything going at the plate through five innings. The Dodgers may have scored another if Carl Crawford could count balls and strikes. He took off for second with A.J. Ellis at the plate in the fourth, but must have thought it was ball four instead of ball three, as he started to trot and was easily tagged out. Um, Carl, the Dodgers installed new million dollar video boards this offseason. You might want to take a peak at one of those to see the count. I'm just sayin'.
Anyway, the Dodgers got the rest of their runs in the sixth. It started on a walk to Mark Ellis. Kemp hadn't had a hit to this point, and Pedro Alvarez made sure it stayed that way with a diving stop to rob him in the fourth. In this inning, however, Kemp plated Ellis with an RBI double to make it 2-0. Gonzalez followed up with his own RBI double, and it was 3-0.
Greinke pitched into the seventh and was pulled after Andrew McCutchen's one-out single. Paco Rodriguez came in and was fantastic. Well, it helped that McCutchen was thrown out trying to steal second on the first pitch. Alvarez looked silly flailing away helplessly on breaking balls for the last out.
The formula for the victory was then put into play of Kenley Jansen in the eighth and Brandon League in the ninth. Jansen walked old friend Russell Martin leading off, but got the next three in order with two strikeouts. League got his first save with a flawless ninth, striking out Neil Walker to end it.
This win is more what the Dodgers expect to see. Like the Giants have shown, it's big-time pitching with clutch hitting along the way. The offense was just abysmal last game with their 1-for-14 performance with runners in scoring position. This game they went 2-for-5, with one of the hits actually coming from Greinke. Like Kershaw, I guess he can do it all.
Greinke was simply fantastic in shutting down the Pirates. He lasted 6 1/3 innings for two hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. I wouldn't say he was overpowering, as his fastball was mostly around 88-92 MPH. But, his late movement on that pitch along with his breaking stuff was nearly unhittable. His location was strong as well, hence a dominating night.
The early results show the 1-2 punch of Kershaw and Greinke can be a lot of fun to watch this year. They've tossed a combined 15 1/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out 13 and walking no one. Wow, that's pretty darn good. They haven't faced the greatest offenses in the world, but shutting down any MLB team like that is hard (well, maybe not the Astros, but you get the point). I think it's safe to say that Greinke's elbow is doing just fine.
Justin Sellers got was back at short after the debacle on Wednesday. He went hitless again (to the surprise of nobody). But, it should be noted that he made a great diving stop on a grounder in the fifth, robbing Garrett Jones. Even if he stays hitless, which looks entirely possible over the course of the entire season, I'll still take him over watching Juan Uribe stink it up at third. Hey, Hanley, how's the thumb?
Final Four Saturday night will see Kershaw looking for his second win. I vote he just pitches a shutout and homers in every start. That's not asking too much, right? A.J. Burnett will go for the Pirates.
The Pirates had no answers for Greinke for six-plus innings, and the big three of Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Adrian Gonzalez drove in the runs as the Dodgers got the win, 3-0. They're now back to .500 at 2-2 on the season.
We've all seen the Dodgers' struggles offensively in the Giants series, as they only managed seven runs in three games against their strong pitching staff. They went down in order in the first, but with two outs in the second, Ethier took a high fastball out to right for the 1-0 lead.
Neither team could get much of anything going at the plate through five innings. The Dodgers may have scored another if Carl Crawford could count balls and strikes. He took off for second with A.J. Ellis at the plate in the fourth, but must have thought it was ball four instead of ball three, as he started to trot and was easily tagged out. Um, Carl, the Dodgers installed new million dollar video boards this offseason. You might want to take a peak at one of those to see the count. I'm just sayin'.
Anyway, the Dodgers got the rest of their runs in the sixth. It started on a walk to Mark Ellis. Kemp hadn't had a hit to this point, and Pedro Alvarez made sure it stayed that way with a diving stop to rob him in the fourth. In this inning, however, Kemp plated Ellis with an RBI double to make it 2-0. Gonzalez followed up with his own RBI double, and it was 3-0.
Greinke pitched into the seventh and was pulled after Andrew McCutchen's one-out single. Paco Rodriguez came in and was fantastic. Well, it helped that McCutchen was thrown out trying to steal second on the first pitch. Alvarez looked silly flailing away helplessly on breaking balls for the last out.
The formula for the victory was then put into play of Kenley Jansen in the eighth and Brandon League in the ninth. Jansen walked old friend Russell Martin leading off, but got the next three in order with two strikeouts. League got his first save with a flawless ninth, striking out Neil Walker to end it.
This win is more what the Dodgers expect to see. Like the Giants have shown, it's big-time pitching with clutch hitting along the way. The offense was just abysmal last game with their 1-for-14 performance with runners in scoring position. This game they went 2-for-5, with one of the hits actually coming from Greinke. Like Kershaw, I guess he can do it all.
Greinke was simply fantastic in shutting down the Pirates. He lasted 6 1/3 innings for two hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. I wouldn't say he was overpowering, as his fastball was mostly around 88-92 MPH. But, his late movement on that pitch along with his breaking stuff was nearly unhittable. His location was strong as well, hence a dominating night.
The early results show the 1-2 punch of Kershaw and Greinke can be a lot of fun to watch this year. They've tossed a combined 15 1/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out 13 and walking no one. Wow, that's pretty darn good. They haven't faced the greatest offenses in the world, but shutting down any MLB team like that is hard (well, maybe not the Astros, but you get the point). I think it's safe to say that Greinke's elbow is doing just fine.
Justin Sellers got was back at short after the debacle on Wednesday. He went hitless again (to the surprise of nobody). But, it should be noted that he made a great diving stop on a grounder in the fifth, robbing Garrett Jones. Even if he stays hitless, which looks entirely possible over the course of the entire season, I'll still take him over watching Juan Uribe stink it up at third. Hey, Hanley, how's the thumb?
Final Four Saturday night will see Kershaw looking for his second win. I vote he just pitches a shutout and homers in every start. That's not asking too much, right? A.J. Burnett will go for the Pirates.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Dodgers take over 1st on Melky's bad day
Could Melky Cabrera's stupidity be the Dodgers' fortune?
It sure looked that way for one day anyway. After Cabrera was busted for 50 games for elevated testosterone levels, the Giants lost an afternoon tilt to the Nationals, 6-4. The Dodgers then took over sole possession of first place in the NL West with a win at night over the Pirates, 9-3.
The first inning saw another score and another early lead for the boys in blue. Shane Victornio beat out an infield single, then advanced to second on Josh Harrison's wild throw to first. Mark Ellis followed with a single for runners on the corners, and Matt Kemp's grounder scored a run, making it 1-0.
The Pirates tied Clayton Kershaw in the second. Gabby Sanchez led off with a ground rule double to right. Two straight deep fly balls got him home, with the RBI coming from Garrett Jones. Harrison also flew out deep to right, and the Pirates temporarily made it look like they'd make a game of this.
"Temporarily" being the key word, as the Dodgers took the lead back in the third and never relinquished it. It started on a single by Ellis and a walk to Hanley Ramirez an out later. Andre Ethier loaded the bases with a single. A sac-fly RBI from Juan Rivera made it 2-1.
The Dodgers started to take full command of this game in the fifth. Kershaw singled with one out, followed by one from Victorino. Ellis grounded out but advanced both men. Kemp got his only hit on the night with a two-run double, and it was 4-1. Ramirez stepped up next and doubled as well to score Kemp, making it 5-1.
Andrew McCutchen tried to lead the Pirates back with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, his 24th of the year for the MVP candidate.
A somewhat close game was blown wide open for the second straight night with a big inning late. Ramirez and Ethier started the seventh with singles. James Loney pinch-hit for Rivera and delivered with an RBI single, and not a double play. Hooray! Luis Cruz continued his hot series with an RBI ground rule double, putting the score at 7-2. A.J. Ellis and Kershaw both hit sac-fly RBIs to give the Dodgers at 9-2 lead.
Kershaw stayed on to pitch the eighth, and eventually gave up an RBI single to Clint Barmes for the game's last score. Brandon League pitched a scoreless ninth, which included a double play ball from Sanchez.
This was really the perfect night for the Dodgers to take advantage of some really bad news for the Giants, and they sure did. Just like the night before, it was a combination of great starting pitching and production all throughout the lineup that got the job done. And hopefully will continue to do so going forward.
First, let's start with the offense. They collected 15 hits, 10 of which came against Wandy Rodriguez. By the way, he's been awful since coming over from the Astros, going 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA. Not exactly what the Bucs thought they'd be getting.
Anyway, Victorino and Ethier had three hits each, and Mark Ellis, Ramirez, and even Kershaw had two. The offense also did the little things like hitting three sacrifice flies. This is obviously not a team that will light it up by hitting it out of the ballpark over and over, so this is how they need to win: get 'em on, get 'em over, and get 'em in.
Kershaw was awesome yet again, this time going eight innings for six hits, three runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts. Like Chad Billingsley, he's on a great run as of late, winning his last four straight starts. The eight K's were the most he's had since collecting nine against the Mets on July 1.
Although this was a minor part of the game, I'm glad League had a good appearance. It didn't look that way at first, as he walked McCutchen leading off in a blowout game, which is never a smart thing to do. But he got Sanchez on the double play ball, then Mike McKenry grounding out. I still think that once he settles in, he can be a great setup man, especially with Ronald Belisario struggling.
The Dodgers have a chance for a four-game sweep on the road as they send Joe Blanton to the hill Thursday afternoon. The Pirates counter with A.J. Burnett, who's probably just the guy the Pirates would want to try and stop a skid.
It sure looked that way for one day anyway. After Cabrera was busted for 50 games for elevated testosterone levels, the Giants lost an afternoon tilt to the Nationals, 6-4. The Dodgers then took over sole possession of first place in the NL West with a win at night over the Pirates, 9-3.
The first inning saw another score and another early lead for the boys in blue. Shane Victornio beat out an infield single, then advanced to second on Josh Harrison's wild throw to first. Mark Ellis followed with a single for runners on the corners, and Matt Kemp's grounder scored a run, making it 1-0.
The Pirates tied Clayton Kershaw in the second. Gabby Sanchez led off with a ground rule double to right. Two straight deep fly balls got him home, with the RBI coming from Garrett Jones. Harrison also flew out deep to right, and the Pirates temporarily made it look like they'd make a game of this.
"Temporarily" being the key word, as the Dodgers took the lead back in the third and never relinquished it. It started on a single by Ellis and a walk to Hanley Ramirez an out later. Andre Ethier loaded the bases with a single. A sac-fly RBI from Juan Rivera made it 2-1.
The Dodgers started to take full command of this game in the fifth. Kershaw singled with one out, followed by one from Victorino. Ellis grounded out but advanced both men. Kemp got his only hit on the night with a two-run double, and it was 4-1. Ramirez stepped up next and doubled as well to score Kemp, making it 5-1.
Andrew McCutchen tried to lead the Pirates back with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, his 24th of the year for the MVP candidate.
A somewhat close game was blown wide open for the second straight night with a big inning late. Ramirez and Ethier started the seventh with singles. James Loney pinch-hit for Rivera and delivered with an RBI single, and not a double play. Hooray! Luis Cruz continued his hot series with an RBI ground rule double, putting the score at 7-2. A.J. Ellis and Kershaw both hit sac-fly RBIs to give the Dodgers at 9-2 lead.
Kershaw stayed on to pitch the eighth, and eventually gave up an RBI single to Clint Barmes for the game's last score. Brandon League pitched a scoreless ninth, which included a double play ball from Sanchez.
This was really the perfect night for the Dodgers to take advantage of some really bad news for the Giants, and they sure did. Just like the night before, it was a combination of great starting pitching and production all throughout the lineup that got the job done. And hopefully will continue to do so going forward.
First, let's start with the offense. They collected 15 hits, 10 of which came against Wandy Rodriguez. By the way, he's been awful since coming over from the Astros, going 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA. Not exactly what the Bucs thought they'd be getting.
Anyway, Victorino and Ethier had three hits each, and Mark Ellis, Ramirez, and even Kershaw had two. The offense also did the little things like hitting three sacrifice flies. This is obviously not a team that will light it up by hitting it out of the ballpark over and over, so this is how they need to win: get 'em on, get 'em over, and get 'em in.
Kershaw was awesome yet again, this time going eight innings for six hits, three runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts. Like Chad Billingsley, he's on a great run as of late, winning his last four straight starts. The eight K's were the most he's had since collecting nine against the Mets on July 1.
Although this was a minor part of the game, I'm glad League had a good appearance. It didn't look that way at first, as he walked McCutchen leading off in a blowout game, which is never a smart thing to do. But he got Sanchez on the double play ball, then Mike McKenry grounding out. I still think that once he settles in, he can be a great setup man, especially with Ronald Belisario struggling.
The Dodgers have a chance for a four-game sweep on the road as they send Joe Blanton to the hill Thursday afternoon. The Pirates counter with A.J. Burnett, who's probably just the guy the Pirates would want to try and stop a skid.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A blowout victory in Pittsburgh
The Dodgers did it all on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, from hitting to pitching to patience as they waited out a 55 minute rain delay.
The end result was an 11-0 pummeling of the Pirates, as the Dodgers now move within a 1/2 game of them for a Wild Card spot. The Giants bounced back from their own shellacking of the Nationals on Monday to get a win, so the NL West lead remains tied.
There were offensive highlights galore, beginning in the third. Luis Cruz had a big night, starting here with a leadoff single. A.J. Ellis walked, and Chad Billingsley laid down a good sacrifice to get them to scoring position. An RBI groundout from Shane Victorino made it 1-0.
After Billingsley struck out Andrew McCutchen with two on to end the third, the Dodgers started to put it away in the fourth. Matt Kemp legged out an infield single, Andre Ethier reached on Neil Walker's error, and Hanley Ramirez basically had a swinging bunt to load the bases. James Loney grounded out to first (bet you'll be shocked to read that), but Kemp was able to come in and make it 2-0.
The big night of Cruz only continued from there, as he lined a two-run single to put the Dodgers up 4-0.
Two straight singles by Ramirez and Loney started things with one out in the sixth, and once again, that Cruz guy delivered. This time it was a run-scoring single, moving Loney to third in the process. A sac-fly RBI by Ellis later, and it was 6-0.
If things weren't bad enough for the home team already, then they only got worse in the ninth. The Dodgers turned a big lead into a joke as they put five more on the board. Chad Qualls got Ellis to start the inning, then it only went downhill from there. Adam Kennedy hit for Billingsley and singled, and Victorino did the same. After both advanced on a passed ball, Juan Uribe walked to load the bases.
The next three hitters produced runs, starting with another infield single from Kemp for a 7-0 lead. Ethier came back from a foul ball off his foot to stroke a two-run single. Ramirez put the finishing touches on things with a two-run double, and it was 11-0.
Shawn Tolleson pitched the final inning and put the Bucs down in order.
There were plenty of stars to go around in this one, but let's start with Billingsley. It was another strong post-DL start for him, going eight innings of five-hit ball, striking out five. In fact, he's a perfect 5-0 in his last five starts with a 1.56 ERA. And again, he reminded people just how good he COULD be. I've been plenty critical of him in the past, but I'll give the devil his due here - he's been fantastic. Now keep it up!
Four starters had multi-hit games, as Ramirez and Cruz had three hits, and Kemp and Loney had two. Every position player scored a run except Ellis, but he added an RBI. Even Uribe scored, though his 0-for-4 night came hitting in the #2 hole. I'm just guessing... well, more like hoping we've seen the last of that. His average is down to .186. Yuck.
As I stated the other day, I really believe the Dodgers play better on the road right now. They just look more relaxed. And what do you know, since the All-Star break, they're 11-4 away from Chavez Ravine. That's good news when it comes playoff time, assuming they get in. Any team would rather play at home, but when they do have to travel, they still have a great chance of winning. I like that.
There's two games left in Pittsburgh before traveling to the other Wild Card leader, the Braves. It's a good matchup of lefties today, as Clayton Kershaw battles Wandy Rodriguez. The Dodgers need to smell blood at this point, as taking at least three of four would be sweet.
The end result was an 11-0 pummeling of the Pirates, as the Dodgers now move within a 1/2 game of them for a Wild Card spot. The Giants bounced back from their own shellacking of the Nationals on Monday to get a win, so the NL West lead remains tied.
There were offensive highlights galore, beginning in the third. Luis Cruz had a big night, starting here with a leadoff single. A.J. Ellis walked, and Chad Billingsley laid down a good sacrifice to get them to scoring position. An RBI groundout from Shane Victorino made it 1-0.
After Billingsley struck out Andrew McCutchen with two on to end the third, the Dodgers started to put it away in the fourth. Matt Kemp legged out an infield single, Andre Ethier reached on Neil Walker's error, and Hanley Ramirez basically had a swinging bunt to load the bases. James Loney grounded out to first (bet you'll be shocked to read that), but Kemp was able to come in and make it 2-0.
The big night of Cruz only continued from there, as he lined a two-run single to put the Dodgers up 4-0.
Two straight singles by Ramirez and Loney started things with one out in the sixth, and once again, that Cruz guy delivered. This time it was a run-scoring single, moving Loney to third in the process. A sac-fly RBI by Ellis later, and it was 6-0.
If things weren't bad enough for the home team already, then they only got worse in the ninth. The Dodgers turned a big lead into a joke as they put five more on the board. Chad Qualls got Ellis to start the inning, then it only went downhill from there. Adam Kennedy hit for Billingsley and singled, and Victorino did the same. After both advanced on a passed ball, Juan Uribe walked to load the bases.
The next three hitters produced runs, starting with another infield single from Kemp for a 7-0 lead. Ethier came back from a foul ball off his foot to stroke a two-run single. Ramirez put the finishing touches on things with a two-run double, and it was 11-0.
Shawn Tolleson pitched the final inning and put the Bucs down in order.
There were plenty of stars to go around in this one, but let's start with Billingsley. It was another strong post-DL start for him, going eight innings of five-hit ball, striking out five. In fact, he's a perfect 5-0 in his last five starts with a 1.56 ERA. And again, he reminded people just how good he COULD be. I've been plenty critical of him in the past, but I'll give the devil his due here - he's been fantastic. Now keep it up!
Four starters had multi-hit games, as Ramirez and Cruz had three hits, and Kemp and Loney had two. Every position player scored a run except Ellis, but he added an RBI. Even Uribe scored, though his 0-for-4 night came hitting in the #2 hole. I'm just guessing... well, more like hoping we've seen the last of that. His average is down to .186. Yuck.
As I stated the other day, I really believe the Dodgers play better on the road right now. They just look more relaxed. And what do you know, since the All-Star break, they're 11-4 away from Chavez Ravine. That's good news when it comes playoff time, assuming they get in. Any team would rather play at home, but when they do have to travel, they still have a great chance of winning. I like that.
There's two games left in Pittsburgh before traveling to the other Wild Card leader, the Braves. It's a good matchup of lefties today, as Clayton Kershaw battles Wandy Rodriguez. The Dodgers need to smell blood at this point, as taking at least three of four would be sweet.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Pirate-killer Victorino strikes again
The Dodgers have the perfect answer to catching the Pirates for one of the two Wild Card spots: Shane Victorino.
Just like his days in Philly, the Pirates had little success in holding down Victorino, as his double and homer led to three RBIs, and the Dodgers held off a late charge to get the win, 5-4. The Giants and Ryan Vogelsong were uncharacteristically creamed at home by the Nationals, 14-2, so the NL West is once again tied up top.
As the Pirates have done way too often lately, they found themselves losing early. In the third, A.J. Ellis hit a leadoff double. A sacrifice by Aaron Harang got him over to third, and Victorino had his first RBI of the night on a double, making it 1-0. Mark Ellis walked, which is always a dumb thing to do when Matt Kemp is hitting behind him. Sure enough, Kemp hit an RBI single to go up 2-0.
The lead could have been stretched out even more, but credit Garrett Jones for making a great catch at the wall off of Andre Ethier's bat, and then doubling up Kemp.
The Pirates got those runs right back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Starling Marte singled, and then an out later, Andrew McCuthen walked. Jones continued his big night with a two-run double, and we were back to where we started.
Victorino gave the Dodgers the lead again in the fifth. Harang was the one who started the rally, singling with one out. Victorino then lined a low pitch out to deep right for the two-run shot, his first as a Dodger, and it was 4-2.
The biggest scare of the night came in the seventh, and not just because the Pirates threatened to score. Javy Guerra got the first two outs, walked Josh Harrison, then saw Marte reach on a rare error by Mark Ellis. In came Randy Choate, who thankfully was just able to get his glove up in time to catch a rocket hit right at his head by Neil Walker. Whoa, was that close!
Another run was added in the seventh by the Dodgers. With Juan Cruz in, Kemp walked, Ethier was beaned, and Hanley Ramirez walked, all with one down. Tony Watson relieved to pitch to James Loney, but Don Mattingly countered with Juan Rivera. It was a good move, as Rivera lined an RBI single for the 5-2 lead. The Dodgers did leave the bases loaded with one out though, failing to really push the lead ahead.
Wouldn't you know it, not getting more runs in that spot almost cost them the lead, mainly because it meant Ronald Belisario came in. He started things off by failing to glove a simple bouncer back to the mound by McCutchen, then giving up an RBI double to Jones to make it 5-3. A flyout and groundout came next, but Mike McKenry's RBI single made it 5-4 before Clint Barmes grounded out to end the inning.
Kenley Jansen was not nearly as dramatic in the ninth, easily setting down the Pirates in order for his 24th save.
In 39 career games against the Pirates, Victorino is hitting .331 with a .410 OBP. Most importantly for the Dodgers, he's really getting settled in as the leadoff man, safely hitting in 9 of 11 games this month, including 7 straight. Even though he's a veteran and a winner in the past, even he had to go through an adjustment period of moving from one coast to the other. I think now he's ready to roll.
Harang got his record above .500 at 8-7 with a solid effort. He lasted six innings for five hits, two runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. His ERA is pretty good at 3.76, though his WHIP is a little on the high side at 1.39, so you'd like to see that come down a bit. He did himself a favor with his single in front of Victorino's homer, which turned out to be the difference in the game.
As for Belisario, well... you can pretty much just look at what I've said in recent times about him, because it hasn't changed. At this point, there's just no way he should be the sole setup man. Hitters have obviously figured him out. That doesn't mean his stuff isn't good, it just means that hitters know what's coming and are good enough to adjust. It's time the Dodgers do the same.
After going 4-5 on their recent homestand, the Dodgers have started their 10-game roadie at 3-1. I actually think they play better on the road, at least as the season has progressed. At home they're 33-25, and 30-28 on the road. There's only three other teams in the National League with winning road records (Nationals, Braves, and Giants), so it's clearly not an easy thing to do. But in my view, they look more relaxed and play better. At least from where I sit.
Chad Billingsley will look to make it four of the first five on this trip when he takes the mound Tuesday night. He'll be opposed by Kevin Correia.
Just like his days in Philly, the Pirates had little success in holding down Victorino, as his double and homer led to three RBIs, and the Dodgers held off a late charge to get the win, 5-4. The Giants and Ryan Vogelsong were uncharacteristically creamed at home by the Nationals, 14-2, so the NL West is once again tied up top.
As the Pirates have done way too often lately, they found themselves losing early. In the third, A.J. Ellis hit a leadoff double. A sacrifice by Aaron Harang got him over to third, and Victorino had his first RBI of the night on a double, making it 1-0. Mark Ellis walked, which is always a dumb thing to do when Matt Kemp is hitting behind him. Sure enough, Kemp hit an RBI single to go up 2-0.
The lead could have been stretched out even more, but credit Garrett Jones for making a great catch at the wall off of Andre Ethier's bat, and then doubling up Kemp.
The Pirates got those runs right back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Starling Marte singled, and then an out later, Andrew McCuthen walked. Jones continued his big night with a two-run double, and we were back to where we started.
Victorino gave the Dodgers the lead again in the fifth. Harang was the one who started the rally, singling with one out. Victorino then lined a low pitch out to deep right for the two-run shot, his first as a Dodger, and it was 4-2.
The biggest scare of the night came in the seventh, and not just because the Pirates threatened to score. Javy Guerra got the first two outs, walked Josh Harrison, then saw Marte reach on a rare error by Mark Ellis. In came Randy Choate, who thankfully was just able to get his glove up in time to catch a rocket hit right at his head by Neil Walker. Whoa, was that close!
Another run was added in the seventh by the Dodgers. With Juan Cruz in, Kemp walked, Ethier was beaned, and Hanley Ramirez walked, all with one down. Tony Watson relieved to pitch to James Loney, but Don Mattingly countered with Juan Rivera. It was a good move, as Rivera lined an RBI single for the 5-2 lead. The Dodgers did leave the bases loaded with one out though, failing to really push the lead ahead.
Wouldn't you know it, not getting more runs in that spot almost cost them the lead, mainly because it meant Ronald Belisario came in. He started things off by failing to glove a simple bouncer back to the mound by McCutchen, then giving up an RBI double to Jones to make it 5-3. A flyout and groundout came next, but Mike McKenry's RBI single made it 5-4 before Clint Barmes grounded out to end the inning.
Kenley Jansen was not nearly as dramatic in the ninth, easily setting down the Pirates in order for his 24th save.
In 39 career games against the Pirates, Victorino is hitting .331 with a .410 OBP. Most importantly for the Dodgers, he's really getting settled in as the leadoff man, safely hitting in 9 of 11 games this month, including 7 straight. Even though he's a veteran and a winner in the past, even he had to go through an adjustment period of moving from one coast to the other. I think now he's ready to roll.
Harang got his record above .500 at 8-7 with a solid effort. He lasted six innings for five hits, two runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. His ERA is pretty good at 3.76, though his WHIP is a little on the high side at 1.39, so you'd like to see that come down a bit. He did himself a favor with his single in front of Victorino's homer, which turned out to be the difference in the game.
As for Belisario, well... you can pretty much just look at what I've said in recent times about him, because it hasn't changed. At this point, there's just no way he should be the sole setup man. Hitters have obviously figured him out. That doesn't mean his stuff isn't good, it just means that hitters know what's coming and are good enough to adjust. It's time the Dodgers do the same.
After going 4-5 on their recent homestand, the Dodgers have started their 10-game roadie at 3-1. I actually think they play better on the road, at least as the season has progressed. At home they're 33-25, and 30-28 on the road. There's only three other teams in the National League with winning road records (Nationals, Braves, and Giants), so it's clearly not an easy thing to do. But in my view, they look more relaxed and play better. At least from where I sit.
Chad Billingsley will look to make it four of the first five on this trip when he takes the mound Tuesday night. He'll be opposed by Kevin Correia.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sweep has Dodgers feeling like it's 1981
Sweeping the Pirates? Eh, no big deal.
Starting the year 6-1, which matches the World Series championship year of 1981, not to mention the birth of Fernandomania? Pretty big deal.
The Dodgers got all three runs in the opening inning and made them hold up, downing the Pirates, 3-2. The win gives them a three-game sweep, and also matches their best start since that magical '81 season.
The damage was all done in the first. Mark Ellis singled with one out, and Matt Kemp placed a double into left for two on. Andre Ethier was the NL leader in RBIs at this point, but he was plunked to load the bases. Hard to tell if there was intent there or not, but if there was, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to put three runners on so early.
Juan Rivera continued to deliver with a sac-fly RBI to make it 1-0. Two straight RBI singles came next from two struggling hitters. James Loney finally got hit #1 of the season, to which Kemp could be heard yelling to get him the ball. Funny stuff! Juan Uribe's came next, and the Dodgers had an early three-run cushion.
Chris Capuano took over from there, as he was looking to rebound from his self-implosion in San Diego. He worked around two singles in the first inning, then struck out the side in the second. He retired seven hitters in a row early on.
In the fifth, the Pirates got a run on Mike McKenry's solo shot to dead center, a clear no-doubter, making it 3-1. The Dodgers put two runners on but came up with blanks, as they did the previous inning.
The Pirates got another run in the sixth, but really blew a chance to do a lot more. Andre McCutchen got three hits and reached base safely four times, and his single started it. Casey McGhee had two hits, one of them here with a single. Yamaico Navarro's sac-fly RBI made it 3-2.
That was all she wrote for Capuano, as Mike MacDougal came in and immediately gave up a single to Clint Barmes. Following a fielder's choice by Pedro Alvarez, McKenry walked to load 'em up. Garrett Jones was called on to pinch-hit, so Don Mattingly countered with Scott Elbert... only to have Clint Hurdle counter with Matt Hague. It didn't matter, as Hague's lineout to center ended it.
With the offense already in bed, the bullpen took over and turned the lights out for good. Josh Lindblom got help from a double play ball and A.J. Ellis's strong throw to catch McCutchen stealing in the seventh. Matt Guerrier tossed a flawless eighth.
The question then became whether Mattingly would use Javy Guerra again, and he did. Guerra needed a mere 11 pitches to set the Pirates down in order for his fifth save, tops in all of baseball.
The early runs almost turned out to be a curse, because the Dodgers ended up stranding seven runners, four of those with two outs and in scoring position. They got runners on, yet the clutch hits stopped. Fortunately, they were playing the lowly Bucs, so it barely made a difference.
Capuano righted the ship with his strong outing, going 5 1/3 innings for six hits, two runs, no walks, and seven strikeouts. He was able to pound the inside corner against righties, freezing them time and time again. The no walks was obviously the big thing, especially since he walked five Padres. In fact, Dodger pitching had 2 walks and 27 strikeouts this series. Wow.
This year has started about as well as anyone could have hoped for. The opponents have been easy, though. That doesn't automatically guarantee wins, but it's good to see the Dodgers take care of business. There's been no letdown thus far.
Yes, the Dodgers will run into a rough patch at some point, just as every team does. They don't have a whole lot of thump in their lineup, save for Kemp and maybe Ethier. So, they'll have nights they'll need the big hit, but won't get it.
What has been and should remain solid, however, is the pitching. Their team ERA is 2.67, fourth in the NL (the Pirates are third, which shows just how bad their hitting has been). They're third in strikeouts at 63, and tops in saves at 5 thanks to Guerra. Getting Ted Lilly back should only help those numbers, too.
If there's a reason to get greed and want more wins, it's that the Padres are coming to town for three. The Padres, well, stink at 2-6. No surprise there. But they do have Clayton Richard going, who shut down the Dodgers last Sunday. The Dodgers will counter with Aaron Harang, who took the loss that day after scuffling the whole time.
Starting the year 6-1, which matches the World Series championship year of 1981, not to mention the birth of Fernandomania? Pretty big deal.
The Dodgers got all three runs in the opening inning and made them hold up, downing the Pirates, 3-2. The win gives them a three-game sweep, and also matches their best start since that magical '81 season.
The damage was all done in the first. Mark Ellis singled with one out, and Matt Kemp placed a double into left for two on. Andre Ethier was the NL leader in RBIs at this point, but he was plunked to load the bases. Hard to tell if there was intent there or not, but if there was, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to put three runners on so early.
Juan Rivera continued to deliver with a sac-fly RBI to make it 1-0. Two straight RBI singles came next from two struggling hitters. James Loney finally got hit #1 of the season, to which Kemp could be heard yelling to get him the ball. Funny stuff! Juan Uribe's came next, and the Dodgers had an early three-run cushion.
Chris Capuano took over from there, as he was looking to rebound from his self-implosion in San Diego. He worked around two singles in the first inning, then struck out the side in the second. He retired seven hitters in a row early on.
In the fifth, the Pirates got a run on Mike McKenry's solo shot to dead center, a clear no-doubter, making it 3-1. The Dodgers put two runners on but came up with blanks, as they did the previous inning.
The Pirates got another run in the sixth, but really blew a chance to do a lot more. Andre McCutchen got three hits and reached base safely four times, and his single started it. Casey McGhee had two hits, one of them here with a single. Yamaico Navarro's sac-fly RBI made it 3-2.
That was all she wrote for Capuano, as Mike MacDougal came in and immediately gave up a single to Clint Barmes. Following a fielder's choice by Pedro Alvarez, McKenry walked to load 'em up. Garrett Jones was called on to pinch-hit, so Don Mattingly countered with Scott Elbert... only to have Clint Hurdle counter with Matt Hague. It didn't matter, as Hague's lineout to center ended it.
With the offense already in bed, the bullpen took over and turned the lights out for good. Josh Lindblom got help from a double play ball and A.J. Ellis's strong throw to catch McCutchen stealing in the seventh. Matt Guerrier tossed a flawless eighth.
The question then became whether Mattingly would use Javy Guerra again, and he did. Guerra needed a mere 11 pitches to set the Pirates down in order for his fifth save, tops in all of baseball.
The early runs almost turned out to be a curse, because the Dodgers ended up stranding seven runners, four of those with two outs and in scoring position. They got runners on, yet the clutch hits stopped. Fortunately, they were playing the lowly Bucs, so it barely made a difference.
Capuano righted the ship with his strong outing, going 5 1/3 innings for six hits, two runs, no walks, and seven strikeouts. He was able to pound the inside corner against righties, freezing them time and time again. The no walks was obviously the big thing, especially since he walked five Padres. In fact, Dodger pitching had 2 walks and 27 strikeouts this series. Wow.
This year has started about as well as anyone could have hoped for. The opponents have been easy, though. That doesn't automatically guarantee wins, but it's good to see the Dodgers take care of business. There's been no letdown thus far.
Yes, the Dodgers will run into a rough patch at some point, just as every team does. They don't have a whole lot of thump in their lineup, save for Kemp and maybe Ethier. So, they'll have nights they'll need the big hit, but won't get it.
What has been and should remain solid, however, is the pitching. Their team ERA is 2.67, fourth in the NL (the Pirates are third, which shows just how bad their hitting has been). They're third in strikeouts at 63, and tops in saves at 5 thanks to Guerra. Getting Ted Lilly back should only help those numbers, too.
If there's a reason to get greed and want more wins, it's that the Padres are coming to town for three. The Padres, well, stink at 2-6. No surprise there. But they do have Clayton Richard going, who shut down the Dodgers last Sunday. The Dodgers will counter with Aaron Harang, who took the loss that day after scuffling the whole time.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Two straight great starts for Billingsley
Chad Billingsley is slowing starting to turn some heads, one dominant start after another.
Bills followed up his fantastic first start against the Padres by limiting the Pirates to one run over six innings, and the Dodgers beat the Pirates again, 4-1. The win gives the Dodgers a hot 5-1 start, their best start since 1999. I was just about to graduate high school at the time. Just thought you'd like to know.
Anyway, Bills had a tough act to follow after setting the bar so high in San Diego (8 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 11 strikeouts). If there's one thing that's been consistent about him, it's that he's inconsistent. That's his biggest hurdle to climb.
With nothing doing through two innings, the Pirates struck in the second. Old Rockie Clint Barmes (yes, he still plays baseball) led off with a solo shot just over Jerry Hairston's reach in left. The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the frame, as Mark Ellis walked, went to second on Matt Kemp's single, and scored on Juan Rivera's first of three RBIs.
Both teams played to a standstill, as Erik Bedard was just as good as Bills for much of the game. In the sixth, however, the Dodgers took the lead for good. Shockingly, it started with a single by Kemp. Rivera did the same for two on. Andre Ethier, hitting #5 against the lefty Bedard, came though again with an RBI single, and a 2-1 lead.
Two more runs were added the next inning. The top of the order started it all, as Dee Gordon doubled leading off. Ellis and Kemp both struck out, but Rivera got another big hit with an RBI single to go up 3-1. Ethier singled, and Tony Gwynn hit a pinch-hit RBI single by make it 4-1.
The game was turned over to the bullpen for the final three frames, and that's a good thing if you're a Dodger fan. Matt Guerrier pitched a perfect seventh, Kenley Jansen gave up one single in the eighth, and Javy Guerra pitched a perfect ninth, highlighted by striking out Garrett Jones to end the game for his fourth save.
The Pirates aren't as bad as they used to be, but with all due respect to them, these are winnable games for the Dodgers. When you looked at the schedule before the season and saw that they'd be playing the Padres and Pirates to open up the year, a hot start was a realistic possibility. So far, so good.
Even with mediocre competition, the Dodgers still had to go out and get the job done, and they have. In their wins, they've gotten great starting pitching, big hits from Kemp, Ethier, Gordon, and even Rivera, and the bullpen has closed the door. You know the offense won't pound the ball every night, so the pitching is key to keeping them in games. Like I said before, so far, so good.
Speaking of Rivera, let's give the guy lots of credit here. Last year he played in 60 games and collected 46 RBIs. This year, thanks to a 3-for-4 night on Wednesday, he's hitting a red hot .364 with no strikeouts. His days of powering 20+ homers are over, but he's showing how to still be effective by having good at-bats. It's no wonder why Don Mattingly trusts him so much.
The Dodgers will look for the sweep on Thursday night. Chris Capuano went from awesome to wild in his first start against the Padres, thanks to good old ball 4. He'll look to put it all together against Jeff Karstens.
Bills followed up his fantastic first start against the Padres by limiting the Pirates to one run over six innings, and the Dodgers beat the Pirates again, 4-1. The win gives the Dodgers a hot 5-1 start, their best start since 1999. I was just about to graduate high school at the time. Just thought you'd like to know.
Anyway, Bills had a tough act to follow after setting the bar so high in San Diego (8 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 11 strikeouts). If there's one thing that's been consistent about him, it's that he's inconsistent. That's his biggest hurdle to climb.
With nothing doing through two innings, the Pirates struck in the second. Old Rockie Clint Barmes (yes, he still plays baseball) led off with a solo shot just over Jerry Hairston's reach in left. The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the frame, as Mark Ellis walked, went to second on Matt Kemp's single, and scored on Juan Rivera's first of three RBIs.
Both teams played to a standstill, as Erik Bedard was just as good as Bills for much of the game. In the sixth, however, the Dodgers took the lead for good. Shockingly, it started with a single by Kemp. Rivera did the same for two on. Andre Ethier, hitting #5 against the lefty Bedard, came though again with an RBI single, and a 2-1 lead.
Two more runs were added the next inning. The top of the order started it all, as Dee Gordon doubled leading off. Ellis and Kemp both struck out, but Rivera got another big hit with an RBI single to go up 3-1. Ethier singled, and Tony Gwynn hit a pinch-hit RBI single by make it 4-1.
The game was turned over to the bullpen for the final three frames, and that's a good thing if you're a Dodger fan. Matt Guerrier pitched a perfect seventh, Kenley Jansen gave up one single in the eighth, and Javy Guerra pitched a perfect ninth, highlighted by striking out Garrett Jones to end the game for his fourth save.
The Pirates aren't as bad as they used to be, but with all due respect to them, these are winnable games for the Dodgers. When you looked at the schedule before the season and saw that they'd be playing the Padres and Pirates to open up the year, a hot start was a realistic possibility. So far, so good.
Even with mediocre competition, the Dodgers still had to go out and get the job done, and they have. In their wins, they've gotten great starting pitching, big hits from Kemp, Ethier, Gordon, and even Rivera, and the bullpen has closed the door. You know the offense won't pound the ball every night, so the pitching is key to keeping them in games. Like I said before, so far, so good.
Speaking of Rivera, let's give the guy lots of credit here. Last year he played in 60 games and collected 46 RBIs. This year, thanks to a 3-for-4 night on Wednesday, he's hitting a red hot .364 with no strikeouts. His days of powering 20+ homers are over, but he's showing how to still be effective by having good at-bats. It's no wonder why Don Mattingly trusts him so much.
The Dodgers will look for the sweep on Thursday night. Chris Capuano went from awesome to wild in his first start against the Padres, thanks to good old ball 4. He'll look to put it all together against Jeff Karstens.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Birthday celebrations all around in home opener
Tuesday was all about celebrating birthdays in Los Angeles. Dodger Stadium turned 50, and members of the 1962 team were on hand to celebrate.
Andre Ethier turned 30, and he got to celebrate with 56,000 of his closest friends.
Ethier gave everyone a reason to smile, as his solo homer in the eighth gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead that would hold up over the Pirates. It was a dramatic way to commemorate 50 years at one of the best ballparks in baseball, even after all this time.
Luckily for everyone who roots for the Dodgers (and those who wear the uniforms), Clayton Kershaw was at full strength for the start. His last start, if you recall, went only three innings in San Diego on Opening Day thanks to the flu. It's a wonder how he even pitched at all.
But today he showed no signs of sickness, as he cruised his way to seven innings of four hits, one run, no walks, and seven strikeouts. A typical ho-hum day for him. He just barely missed getting a win by an inning, but with an ERA of 0.90 after two starts, I'm pretty sure the wins will come.
The Dodgers got things going in the first. After setting down the Pirates in order, Dee Gordon led off with a single. On the very first pitch to Mark Ellis, he swiped second with ease. Small ball was played next, as Ellis got him to third on a groundout, and Matt Kemp collected another RBI with a groundout, making it 1-0.
The second inning saw scoring chances for both teams, but no runs. Casey McGehee hit a long fly ball leading off to Kemp in center, and thanks to a whole lot of sun, Kemp was unable to grab it for a triple. No worries, as two strikeouts and a flyout to left ended that threat. The Dodgers put two men on, and Kershaw was almost able to get a run in, but a slick play by Neil Walker ended the inning on a forceout at second.
I'd love to tell you that a whole of action happened in the middle chunk of this game, but I'd be lying if I did. The Pirates couldn't do much of anything, as they were scoreless through six. The home team put runners on here and there, but couldn't get the big hit.
The Pirates, to their credit, kept plugging away against the reigning Cy Young Award winner and tied the game in the seventh. Alex Pressley and Andrew McCutchen hit singles leading off. McGehee then hit another long fly ball that was gloved by Juan Rivera in left, yet both runners were able to tag on the late throw to third. Not getting the ball to second proved costly, as Matt Hague's grounder to short was able to score a run instead of being a double play.
The game remained knotted at one heading into the bottom of the eighth, as the Dodgers were desperate for that one big hit. Ethier morphed into Andre the Giant again, as his two-out shot to right gave the Dodgers the lead for good.
Javy Guerra surrendered a single to Pressely with one out, but the double play combination of Gordon and Ellis was able to get the speedy McCutchen to end the game. It's Guerra's third save in as many chances.
For a place that's seen many historic hits in its time, Ethier's game-winner was a nice little nod to that history. Plus it's another indication that he's back and completely healthy, as he's hitting .316 with two homers to start the year. The lethal duo of Kemp and Ethier in the 3-4 spots looks to be back.
Even though the Dodgers didn't have the lead again until the eighth, they effectively followed their blue print of getting seven innings out of the starter, then turning to another lethal duo on the pitching side, Kenley Jansen and Guerra. Jansen was just untouchable, as he pretty much threw it anywhere over the plate, and nobody could hit it.
The general consensus before the season was that Jansen will be the closer at some point this year. And to that, I say that I hope not. What I mean by that is that I hope Guerra continues to show that he has the ninth inning on lockdown. If he falters at all, then Jansen deserves a shot. But if ain't broke, don't fix it. And trust me, it ain't broke.
With the home opener out of the way, the Dodgers will be back in action Wednesday night. It'll be a good pitching matchup, as Chad Billingsley goes against Erik Bedard. Both men pitched with something to prove in their first starts, as Bills shut down the Padres on 11 strikeouts, and Bedard was a tough-luck loser to Roy Halladay on a 1-0 score.
Andre Ethier turned 30, and he got to celebrate with 56,000 of his closest friends.
Ethier gave everyone a reason to smile, as his solo homer in the eighth gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead that would hold up over the Pirates. It was a dramatic way to commemorate 50 years at one of the best ballparks in baseball, even after all this time.
Luckily for everyone who roots for the Dodgers (and those who wear the uniforms), Clayton Kershaw was at full strength for the start. His last start, if you recall, went only three innings in San Diego on Opening Day thanks to the flu. It's a wonder how he even pitched at all.
But today he showed no signs of sickness, as he cruised his way to seven innings of four hits, one run, no walks, and seven strikeouts. A typical ho-hum day for him. He just barely missed getting a win by an inning, but with an ERA of 0.90 after two starts, I'm pretty sure the wins will come.
The Dodgers got things going in the first. After setting down the Pirates in order, Dee Gordon led off with a single. On the very first pitch to Mark Ellis, he swiped second with ease. Small ball was played next, as Ellis got him to third on a groundout, and Matt Kemp collected another RBI with a groundout, making it 1-0.
The second inning saw scoring chances for both teams, but no runs. Casey McGehee hit a long fly ball leading off to Kemp in center, and thanks to a whole lot of sun, Kemp was unable to grab it for a triple. No worries, as two strikeouts and a flyout to left ended that threat. The Dodgers put two men on, and Kershaw was almost able to get a run in, but a slick play by Neil Walker ended the inning on a forceout at second.
I'd love to tell you that a whole of action happened in the middle chunk of this game, but I'd be lying if I did. The Pirates couldn't do much of anything, as they were scoreless through six. The home team put runners on here and there, but couldn't get the big hit.
The Pirates, to their credit, kept plugging away against the reigning Cy Young Award winner and tied the game in the seventh. Alex Pressley and Andrew McCutchen hit singles leading off. McGehee then hit another long fly ball that was gloved by Juan Rivera in left, yet both runners were able to tag on the late throw to third. Not getting the ball to second proved costly, as Matt Hague's grounder to short was able to score a run instead of being a double play.
The game remained knotted at one heading into the bottom of the eighth, as the Dodgers were desperate for that one big hit. Ethier morphed into Andre the Giant again, as his two-out shot to right gave the Dodgers the lead for good.
Javy Guerra surrendered a single to Pressely with one out, but the double play combination of Gordon and Ellis was able to get the speedy McCutchen to end the game. It's Guerra's third save in as many chances.
For a place that's seen many historic hits in its time, Ethier's game-winner was a nice little nod to that history. Plus it's another indication that he's back and completely healthy, as he's hitting .316 with two homers to start the year. The lethal duo of Kemp and Ethier in the 3-4 spots looks to be back.
Even though the Dodgers didn't have the lead again until the eighth, they effectively followed their blue print of getting seven innings out of the starter, then turning to another lethal duo on the pitching side, Kenley Jansen and Guerra. Jansen was just untouchable, as he pretty much threw it anywhere over the plate, and nobody could hit it.
The general consensus before the season was that Jansen will be the closer at some point this year. And to that, I say that I hope not. What I mean by that is that I hope Guerra continues to show that he has the ninth inning on lockdown. If he falters at all, then Jansen deserves a shot. But if ain't broke, don't fix it. And trust me, it ain't broke.
With the home opener out of the way, the Dodgers will be back in action Wednesday night. It'll be a good pitching matchup, as Chad Billingsley goes against Erik Bedard. Both men pitched with something to prove in their first starts, as Bills shut down the Padres on 11 strikeouts, and Bedard was a tough-luck loser to Roy Halladay on a 1-0 score.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Red hot Loney flexes more muscle
Ted Lilly needed one more good start to reach double digits for the ninth straight season. James Loney made sure he did just that.
Loney homered for the second straight night, Kemp reached 100 runs and 40 steals, and the Dodgers slapped around the Pirates, 6-1. The Dodgers have taken two of the first three with one game to go.
After Lilly got the Pirates in order with a couple of strikeouts to start the game, the offense went to work. Dee Gordon singled leading off, but was quickly erased on the bases. Justin Sellers drew a walk, and an out later, Juan Rivera singled. Loney gave the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead with a three-run shot to right, his 11th of the season.
The Pirates scored their only run of the night in the second. Lilly issued two straight walks to Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick to open it up. A flyout by Brandon Wood got Lee to third, and Josh Harrison delivered an RBI double to make it 3-1.
That was as close as the Pirates would get, as the Dodgers played longball again in the third. Kemp started it off with a single. Rivera then smacked a two-run shot, and it was now 5-1. It was Rivera's 10th homer of the season, and fourth with the Dodgers. It all gave Kemp a nice, round 100 runs.
The young guns got into the act in the fifth to close out the scoring. Well, old man Aaron Miles was the first to reach on an error by Wood at third. Sands then singled for two on. Tim Federowicz, acquired at the trade deadline for prospect Trayvon Robinson, had his big league moment with an RBI single to make it 6-1.
Once Lilly exited after seven innings, Nathan Eovaldi struggled in the eighth. The Pirates loaded the bases on singles by Chase d'Arnaud and Andrew McCutchen, and a plunking of Lee, all with one out. Out went Eovaldi, who's clearly struggling after transitioning to the bullpen, and in came Kenley Jansen. Two strikeouts of Ludwick and Garrett Jones later, the threat was over.
Mike MacDougal pitched the ninth, and despite allowing a couple of runners, didn't allow a run.
There were plenty of positive happenings in this game. Lilly went seven innings for four hits, one run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He went through a horrendous couple of months in June and July, but posted a 2.35 ERA in August and 3.12 in September. His ERA has gone down from 5.02 to 4.27 in the process.
In addition to Kemp getting that one more run and steal, a couple more hits raised his average to .317. For MVP purposes, I'm sure he'd like to bump that up to .320, as well as up his homers from 33 to 35. He could go o'fer the rest of the season and still have awesome numbers, but a late push for those voters would be huge.
Rivera continues to quietly be a good addition. He's now played in 53 games for the Dodgers and is hitting .283 with four homers and 37 RBIs. I'm sure he'd like to have a little more power than that, but I didn't expect him to even hit that high, especially since he was hitting .243 for the Blue Jays before coming over. Still, he's a decent power threat for a team that needs power, so I can see him being brought back next season.
Finally, there's Loney, who has put the game away for the second straight night with a three-run jack. The knock on him his whole career has been a strange lack of power, especially for a tall guy with a seemingly good swing. His defense has always been sharp, to his credit. I'm not sure anyone will ever be able to figure him out, as he either appears red hot or ice cold at a moment's notice.
With the organization in such a mess right now, it's hard to see someone like Prince Fielder being signed to a huge deal in the offseason to play first base. So, after looking like absolute garbage for much of the season, Loney could realistically be resigned again for next year.
The Dodgers finish their set against the Pirates with an afternoon game on Sunday. Chad Billingsley will look to get over the .500 mark with his 11th win.
Loney homered for the second straight night, Kemp reached 100 runs and 40 steals, and the Dodgers slapped around the Pirates, 6-1. The Dodgers have taken two of the first three with one game to go.
After Lilly got the Pirates in order with a couple of strikeouts to start the game, the offense went to work. Dee Gordon singled leading off, but was quickly erased on the bases. Justin Sellers drew a walk, and an out later, Juan Rivera singled. Loney gave the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead with a three-run shot to right, his 11th of the season.
The Pirates scored their only run of the night in the second. Lilly issued two straight walks to Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick to open it up. A flyout by Brandon Wood got Lee to third, and Josh Harrison delivered an RBI double to make it 3-1.
That was as close as the Pirates would get, as the Dodgers played longball again in the third. Kemp started it off with a single. Rivera then smacked a two-run shot, and it was now 5-1. It was Rivera's 10th homer of the season, and fourth with the Dodgers. It all gave Kemp a nice, round 100 runs.
The young guns got into the act in the fifth to close out the scoring. Well, old man Aaron Miles was the first to reach on an error by Wood at third. Sands then singled for two on. Tim Federowicz, acquired at the trade deadline for prospect Trayvon Robinson, had his big league moment with an RBI single to make it 6-1.
Once Lilly exited after seven innings, Nathan Eovaldi struggled in the eighth. The Pirates loaded the bases on singles by Chase d'Arnaud and Andrew McCutchen, and a plunking of Lee, all with one out. Out went Eovaldi, who's clearly struggling after transitioning to the bullpen, and in came Kenley Jansen. Two strikeouts of Ludwick and Garrett Jones later, the threat was over.
Mike MacDougal pitched the ninth, and despite allowing a couple of runners, didn't allow a run.
There were plenty of positive happenings in this game. Lilly went seven innings for four hits, one run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He went through a horrendous couple of months in June and July, but posted a 2.35 ERA in August and 3.12 in September. His ERA has gone down from 5.02 to 4.27 in the process.
In addition to Kemp getting that one more run and steal, a couple more hits raised his average to .317. For MVP purposes, I'm sure he'd like to bump that up to .320, as well as up his homers from 33 to 35. He could go o'fer the rest of the season and still have awesome numbers, but a late push for those voters would be huge.
Rivera continues to quietly be a good addition. He's now played in 53 games for the Dodgers and is hitting .283 with four homers and 37 RBIs. I'm sure he'd like to have a little more power than that, but I didn't expect him to even hit that high, especially since he was hitting .243 for the Blue Jays before coming over. Still, he's a decent power threat for a team that needs power, so I can see him being brought back next season.
Finally, there's Loney, who has put the game away for the second straight night with a three-run jack. The knock on him his whole career has been a strange lack of power, especially for a tall guy with a seemingly good swing. His defense has always been sharp, to his credit. I'm not sure anyone will ever be able to figure him out, as he either appears red hot or ice cold at a moment's notice.
With the organization in such a mess right now, it's hard to see someone like Prince Fielder being signed to a huge deal in the offseason to play first base. So, after looking like absolute garbage for much of the season, Loney could realistically be resigned again for next year.
The Dodgers finish their set against the Pirates with an afternoon game on Sunday. Chad Billingsley will look to get over the .500 mark with his 11th win.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Loney puts the game away
With the Dodgers in the middle of a youth movement during their four-game set against the Pirates, James Loney found himself getting the night off.
That is until he pinch-hit in the sixth and put the game out of reach.
Loney's three-run blast backed up Hiroki Kuroda's solid effort, and the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 7-2. The Giants have run off six straight wins, so it looks like the Dodgers will have to settle for third place in the NL West, as they have a four-game edge over the Rockies.
Kuroda was making the start despite a stiff neck, though an MRI showed no new damage. The Pirates got to him in the second. Garrett Jones led off the inning with a single. An out later, Pedro Alvarez took a walk. Ronny Cedeno then grounded one that should have been a double play, but after getting the out at second, Dee Gordon's throw sailed past first, as Jones scored to make it 1-0.
The Dodgers battled right back in the bottom of the frame. Jerry Sands doubled to start things off. Rod Barajas followed with his own double, and just like that, it was 1-1.
Gordon began to atone for his error with a leadoff single in the third. Sellers walked to set things up for the mighty Matt Kemp, who delivered his 111th RBI on a single. With Sellers at third, Juan Rivera's RBI fielder's choice put the Dodgers up 3-1. Believe it or not, big man Rivera actually stole second but was stranded.
Clinging to a two-run lead, Kuroda had a scare in the sixth. Alex Presley led off the inning with a long solo shot to right, and it was 3-2. Neil Walker and Ryan Doumit then hit consecutive singles to start a threat. Kuroda, however, relaxed, and got two popups and a strikeout to escape with the lead.
The Dodgers put the game on ice in the bottom of the sixth. Russ Mitchell started at first, and he singled with one out. Jamey Carroll also singled, and Aaron Miles did as well pinch-hitting for Kuroda. Gordon then hit a slow roller that forced Miles at second, but easily scored Mitchell to make it 4-2.
Don Mattingly then went for the knockout blow by sending up Loney in Sellers's spot. It worked, as after Gordon stole his 18th base to leave first base open, Loney still got to swing with Kemp lurking on deck. On a fastball, Loney cranked one to right that hit the top of the wall and out for three-run blast, and it was 7-2.
The bullpen took care of things from there. Hong-Chih Kuo looked like his old self (for a change) with two strikeouts and a groundout in the seventh. Scott Elbert worked the eighth with ease. Matt Guerrier worked around a rare error by Kemp on a liner and a passed ball by Barajas to finish the game off.
The win gives Kuroda a career-high of 12. It's hard to believe he's never had more than that despite an ERA that's never been above 3.76 on the season. But, that's a result of some poor run support along the way. With a career 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, he's more than proven his worth. In this one, he lasted six innings for five hits, two runs (one earned), two walks, and seven strikeouts.
To continue Kemp's MVP watch, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI. He's stuck on 99 runs and 39 stolen bases, so one more of each of those would look a little better. He also has 33 homers, so tacking on a couple more there will only help his cause. With 12 games left, there's no doubt he has a great chance at getting all of the above accomplished.
Loney was absolutely on fire in August, hitting .367 with a 1.066 OPS. He slowed down some this month, but Friday night's blast again showed what he's capable of. I'm not sure what's going on with him, but something clicked in his head. The question now is, Will he be back next year with this resurgence? To his credit, he's making that decision tougher and tougher.
The Dodgers have two more games this weekend before getting their first scheduled day off since August 25, though they did get rained out in Washington on September 7. Ted Lilly will look to get in the double digits by taking the mound on Saturday.
That is until he pinch-hit in the sixth and put the game out of reach.
Loney's three-run blast backed up Hiroki Kuroda's solid effort, and the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 7-2. The Giants have run off six straight wins, so it looks like the Dodgers will have to settle for third place in the NL West, as they have a four-game edge over the Rockies.
Kuroda was making the start despite a stiff neck, though an MRI showed no new damage. The Pirates got to him in the second. Garrett Jones led off the inning with a single. An out later, Pedro Alvarez took a walk. Ronny Cedeno then grounded one that should have been a double play, but after getting the out at second, Dee Gordon's throw sailed past first, as Jones scored to make it 1-0.
The Dodgers battled right back in the bottom of the frame. Jerry Sands doubled to start things off. Rod Barajas followed with his own double, and just like that, it was 1-1.
Gordon began to atone for his error with a leadoff single in the third. Sellers walked to set things up for the mighty Matt Kemp, who delivered his 111th RBI on a single. With Sellers at third, Juan Rivera's RBI fielder's choice put the Dodgers up 3-1. Believe it or not, big man Rivera actually stole second but was stranded.
Clinging to a two-run lead, Kuroda had a scare in the sixth. Alex Presley led off the inning with a long solo shot to right, and it was 3-2. Neil Walker and Ryan Doumit then hit consecutive singles to start a threat. Kuroda, however, relaxed, and got two popups and a strikeout to escape with the lead.
The Dodgers put the game on ice in the bottom of the sixth. Russ Mitchell started at first, and he singled with one out. Jamey Carroll also singled, and Aaron Miles did as well pinch-hitting for Kuroda. Gordon then hit a slow roller that forced Miles at second, but easily scored Mitchell to make it 4-2.
Don Mattingly then went for the knockout blow by sending up Loney in Sellers's spot. It worked, as after Gordon stole his 18th base to leave first base open, Loney still got to swing with Kemp lurking on deck. On a fastball, Loney cranked one to right that hit the top of the wall and out for three-run blast, and it was 7-2.
The bullpen took care of things from there. Hong-Chih Kuo looked like his old self (for a change) with two strikeouts and a groundout in the seventh. Scott Elbert worked the eighth with ease. Matt Guerrier worked around a rare error by Kemp on a liner and a passed ball by Barajas to finish the game off.
The win gives Kuroda a career-high of 12. It's hard to believe he's never had more than that despite an ERA that's never been above 3.76 on the season. But, that's a result of some poor run support along the way. With a career 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, he's more than proven his worth. In this one, he lasted six innings for five hits, two runs (one earned), two walks, and seven strikeouts.
To continue Kemp's MVP watch, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI. He's stuck on 99 runs and 39 stolen bases, so one more of each of those would look a little better. He also has 33 homers, so tacking on a couple more there will only help his cause. With 12 games left, there's no doubt he has a great chance at getting all of the above accomplished.
Loney was absolutely on fire in August, hitting .367 with a 1.066 OPS. He slowed down some this month, but Friday night's blast again showed what he's capable of. I'm not sure what's going on with him, but something clicked in his head. The question now is, Will he be back next year with this resurgence? To his credit, he's making that decision tougher and tougher.
The Dodgers have two more games this weekend before getting their first scheduled day off since August 25, though they did get rained out in Washington on September 7. Ted Lilly will look to get in the double digits by taking the mound on Saturday.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A good day on and off the field
Dana Eveland made his return to the majors with eight terrific innings of one-run ball, and the bullpen just managed to hold on and get the win, 6-4. It was the Dodgers' ninth win in their last 10 games.
Off the field? Well, there was that report of a $1.2 billion offer to take the Dodgers off of Frank McCourt's dirty hands.
Yes, it was a good day.
Another great start to the game got the Dodgers going. Dee Gordon made his return from the DL with a single leading off. An out later, Matt Kemp's single put runners on the corners, until Kemp stole his 36th base. Andre Ethier was intentionally walked to pitch to Aaron Miles, who made the Pirates pay with a two-run single. Tony Gwynn's sac-fly RBI made it 3-0.
Eveland's only run surrendered came in the second. Ryan Doumit and Neil Walker each hit singles to start. Josh Harrison grounded into a double play, but Doumit still scored to make it 3-1. Brandon Wood lined out to Kemp in center to end the inning.
Both Eveland and Brad Lincoln didn't give up a run in inning 3-6. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the sixth on walks to Ethier and A.J. Ellis, and Jamey Carroll getting plunked. Unfortunately, with the Dodgers playing game #7 of 24 straight, Don Mattingly chose to let Eveland hit and grab some rest for his bullpen while he had the chance. Eveland flew out for the last out.
The next couple of innings, however, proved to be important insurance runs scored for the Dodgers. In the seventh, runners were on the corners on singles by James Loney and Kemp. Loney then lumbered home on a passed ball, and Kemp even made it to third on some great baserunning, only to be stranded.
In the eighth, the bases became loaded again. With one out, singles were hit by Ellis and Carroll, and Eveland even drew a walk. Gordon lined one down the right field line for a two-run double, and the Dodgers were in full command up 6-1.
It's a good thing the Dodgers got some separation, because Blake Hawksworth tried to give the lead right back in the ninth. Jose Tabata led off with a single. Alex Presley then hit a long two-run homer to right, and it was 6-3.
That was it for Hawksworth, who's fallen apart. In came Kenley Jansen, who's been dominant lately. Still, it wasn't easy, as Andrew McCutchen walked and Doumit singled for runners on the corners. Walker scored one on a sac-fly RBI, making it 6-4. Jansen struck out Harrison and Wood to end the game.
I'm glad the bullpen didn't blow it, because Eveland more than deserved the win. He lasted eight innings for six hits, one run, no walks, and three strikeouts. I mentioned the other day how he had a chance to earn more starts, and I'd say he more than did that. I don't think anyone expected those kind of numbers, even against the sliding Pirates. Hopefully he can follow that up.
This couldn't have been an easy game for the Dodgers, as they flew across the country to play just this one game after beating the Padres Wednesday afternoon. Like Mattingly said, they basically flew, slept (a little), played the game, and are now off to Atlanta. A month ago, I doubt the Dodgers would have won this.
In looking at the numbers, four guys had two hits (Gordon, Loney, Kemp, Ellis), as the offense as a whole collected 11 hits, four walks, a sac-fly, and a beaning. They did leave nine men on, but got big hits when needed from Miles and Gordon with runners on. Once again, it was great to see guys other than Kemp make some noise. That's why they've been winning lately.
After beating up on lowly teams like the Padres and Pirates, the Dodgers are about to get tested by playing the Braves for three. The Braves are running away with the wild card with an 8 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals. Winning a couple this weekend would be awesome. Chad Billingsley goes on Friday against Brandon Beachy, another solid, young arm for Altanta.
Off the field? Well, there was that report of a $1.2 billion offer to take the Dodgers off of Frank McCourt's dirty hands.
Yes, it was a good day.
Another great start to the game got the Dodgers going. Dee Gordon made his return from the DL with a single leading off. An out later, Matt Kemp's single put runners on the corners, until Kemp stole his 36th base. Andre Ethier was intentionally walked to pitch to Aaron Miles, who made the Pirates pay with a two-run single. Tony Gwynn's sac-fly RBI made it 3-0.
Eveland's only run surrendered came in the second. Ryan Doumit and Neil Walker each hit singles to start. Josh Harrison grounded into a double play, but Doumit still scored to make it 3-1. Brandon Wood lined out to Kemp in center to end the inning.
Both Eveland and Brad Lincoln didn't give up a run in inning 3-6. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the sixth on walks to Ethier and A.J. Ellis, and Jamey Carroll getting plunked. Unfortunately, with the Dodgers playing game #7 of 24 straight, Don Mattingly chose to let Eveland hit and grab some rest for his bullpen while he had the chance. Eveland flew out for the last out.
The next couple of innings, however, proved to be important insurance runs scored for the Dodgers. In the seventh, runners were on the corners on singles by James Loney and Kemp. Loney then lumbered home on a passed ball, and Kemp even made it to third on some great baserunning, only to be stranded.
In the eighth, the bases became loaded again. With one out, singles were hit by Ellis and Carroll, and Eveland even drew a walk. Gordon lined one down the right field line for a two-run double, and the Dodgers were in full command up 6-1.
It's a good thing the Dodgers got some separation, because Blake Hawksworth tried to give the lead right back in the ninth. Jose Tabata led off with a single. Alex Presley then hit a long two-run homer to right, and it was 6-3.
That was it for Hawksworth, who's fallen apart. In came Kenley Jansen, who's been dominant lately. Still, it wasn't easy, as Andrew McCutchen walked and Doumit singled for runners on the corners. Walker scored one on a sac-fly RBI, making it 6-4. Jansen struck out Harrison and Wood to end the game.
I'm glad the bullpen didn't blow it, because Eveland more than deserved the win. He lasted eight innings for six hits, one run, no walks, and three strikeouts. I mentioned the other day how he had a chance to earn more starts, and I'd say he more than did that. I don't think anyone expected those kind of numbers, even against the sliding Pirates. Hopefully he can follow that up.
This couldn't have been an easy game for the Dodgers, as they flew across the country to play just this one game after beating the Padres Wednesday afternoon. Like Mattingly said, they basically flew, slept (a little), played the game, and are now off to Atlanta. A month ago, I doubt the Dodgers would have won this.
In looking at the numbers, four guys had two hits (Gordon, Loney, Kemp, Ellis), as the offense as a whole collected 11 hits, four walks, a sac-fly, and a beaning. They did leave nine men on, but got big hits when needed from Miles and Gordon with runners on. Once again, it was great to see guys other than Kemp make some noise. That's why they've been winning lately.
After beating up on lowly teams like the Padres and Pirates, the Dodgers are about to get tested by playing the Braves for three. The Braves are running away with the wild card with an 8 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals. Winning a couple this weekend would be awesome. Chad Billingsley goes on Friday against Brandon Beachy, another solid, young arm for Altanta.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Kuroda throws a gem, Padilla slams the door
One day after scoring 10 runs, the Dodgers' offense reverted back to form. That is, not very good, as in only scoring two runs. Fortunately for them, the guys on the mound led the way.
Hiroki Kuroda went seven scoreless innings, and Matt Guerrier and Vicente Padilla teamed up to close the door late as the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 2-0. That's two straight for them as they are now two games in back of .500. Hey, you have to start somewhere.
The game featured only nine hits, with five of them by the visiting team. Kuroda was matched up with an improving Paul Maholm. His record is 1-5, but he can thank his lousy team behind him for that. His ERA of 3.50 proves that he has no luck.
Nothing much was doing for either team until the Dodgers scored the game's only runs in the sixth. Ivan DeJesus, hitting in the #2 hole, walked leading off. Like most rallies, it quite often can get traced back to an early walk, and such was the case here. Andre Ethier legged out an infield single and Matt Kemp took a walk of his own to load the bases.
Up came Juan Uribe, and I had a sinking feeling that a double play ball was coming next. Of course, I was right, but thankfully it still pushed a run in to make it 1-0. Rod Barajas was given the intentional walk to pitch to Jerry Sands, who then ripped an RBI double for the 2-0. Choke on that, Clint Hurdle!
From there, it was all about Kuroda, as he was locked in from the start. The first hit of the night he surrendered wasn't until Brandon Wood's blooping single in the fifth. In the sixth, Xavier Paul singled and Lyle Overbay walked, and both advanced on a wild pitch with two outs. Kuroda then got Chris Snyder swinging for the last big out.
Guerrier pitched the eighth and got through the top of the Pirates' order with ease. Padilla gave up a two-out double to Pedro Alvarez, but struck out Wood to end the game. It's his third save in as many chances.
Don Mattingly got exactly what he wanted out of this one: a strong start from Kuroda, and his top bullpen guys closing it out. With Jonathan Broxton out, the roles have pretty much been settled into Padilla closing, Guerrier setting up, and guys like Blake Hawksworth, Kenley Jansen, and Hong-Chih Kuo coming before that. They still have a ways to go to improve their ugly numbers, but tonight was a great step.
As for Kuroda, he continues to quietly go about his business and get the job done. Tonight he went seven innings with three hits, no runs, three walks, and eight strikeouts. I'm not sure many people outside of Dodger fans (and fantasy buffs) really know much, if anything, about this guy. But for those of you in the know, you appreciate just how solid he is. The Dodgers will miss him after this year when he will most likely call it a career.
After Monday's letdown, I said that the next few games were really big for the Dodgers. So far, they've responded very well. They got late runs on Tuesday to run away with that one, and stayed on top in a close one today. If they're ever going to get back into the division race, they have to beat teams like the Pirates. There's just no other way about it.
The final game of the series will be on Thursday night. Jon Garland will toe the rubber. He's had four great starts in a row, but only has one win to show for it.
Hiroki Kuroda went seven scoreless innings, and Matt Guerrier and Vicente Padilla teamed up to close the door late as the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 2-0. That's two straight for them as they are now two games in back of .500. Hey, you have to start somewhere.
The game featured only nine hits, with five of them by the visiting team. Kuroda was matched up with an improving Paul Maholm. His record is 1-5, but he can thank his lousy team behind him for that. His ERA of 3.50 proves that he has no luck.
Nothing much was doing for either team until the Dodgers scored the game's only runs in the sixth. Ivan DeJesus, hitting in the #2 hole, walked leading off. Like most rallies, it quite often can get traced back to an early walk, and such was the case here. Andre Ethier legged out an infield single and Matt Kemp took a walk of his own to load the bases.
Up came Juan Uribe, and I had a sinking feeling that a double play ball was coming next. Of course, I was right, but thankfully it still pushed a run in to make it 1-0. Rod Barajas was given the intentional walk to pitch to Jerry Sands, who then ripped an RBI double for the 2-0. Choke on that, Clint Hurdle!
From there, it was all about Kuroda, as he was locked in from the start. The first hit of the night he surrendered wasn't until Brandon Wood's blooping single in the fifth. In the sixth, Xavier Paul singled and Lyle Overbay walked, and both advanced on a wild pitch with two outs. Kuroda then got Chris Snyder swinging for the last big out.
Guerrier pitched the eighth and got through the top of the Pirates' order with ease. Padilla gave up a two-out double to Pedro Alvarez, but struck out Wood to end the game. It's his third save in as many chances.
Don Mattingly got exactly what he wanted out of this one: a strong start from Kuroda, and his top bullpen guys closing it out. With Jonathan Broxton out, the roles have pretty much been settled into Padilla closing, Guerrier setting up, and guys like Blake Hawksworth, Kenley Jansen, and Hong-Chih Kuo coming before that. They still have a ways to go to improve their ugly numbers, but tonight was a great step.
As for Kuroda, he continues to quietly go about his business and get the job done. Tonight he went seven innings with three hits, no runs, three walks, and eight strikeouts. I'm not sure many people outside of Dodger fans (and fantasy buffs) really know much, if anything, about this guy. But for those of you in the know, you appreciate just how solid he is. The Dodgers will miss him after this year when he will most likely call it a career.
After Monday's letdown, I said that the next few games were really big for the Dodgers. So far, they've responded very well. They got late runs on Tuesday to run away with that one, and stayed on top in a close one today. If they're ever going to get back into the division race, they have to beat teams like the Pirates. There's just no other way about it.
The final game of the series will be on Thursday night. Jon Garland will toe the rubber. He's had four great starts in a row, but only has one win to show for it.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mattingly and Uribe tossed in loss
The Pirates put up a three spot in the eighth inning as they took the first of a four-game set in Pittsburgh over the Dodgers, 4-1. The game featured a controversial call in which Don Mattingly and Juan Uribe were run. It was that kind of a night.
Fresh off a win to avoid an embarrassing sweep against the Mets, Chad Billingsley took the mound and did everything he could to get two in a row. Unfortunately, a combination of bad hitting and bad luck prevented that from happening.
The Dodgers did score in the first. With one out, Aaron Miles singled, and Andre Ethier followed with another on a hit and run. Matt Kemp then struck out, setting it up for the ice cold Uribe. Finally, though, Uribe came through, this time with an RBI single for the 1-0 lead.
Andrew McCuthchen flashed some serious leather to stop any more runs from scoring in the third. With Miles on first and one out, Kemp lifted a long fly to deep center. McCutchen made a great catch at the wall, and doubled up Miles at first, who obviously thought it was going to land. The sad part is that would not be the last time the Dodgers would run into trouble on a catch in the outfield.
In the third, the Pirates got on the board. Ronny Cedeno singled leading off, and Jose Tabata walked with two down. That walk would hurt, as Garrett Jones's RBI single tied the game at 1-1.
The controversial call of the night occurred in the eighth. Kemp led off and was beaned. Uribe then hit a sinking liner to left in which Tabata made a sliding play on. Replays showed the ball bounce... but of course you can't look at the replay on plays like this, and sure enough, it was called an out. Kemp took off on the "hit" and was doubled off first.
Once the Dodgers returned to the field, a frustrated Uribe and Mattingly were ejected for arguing. I guess it's wrong to complain when you're right. Whatever.
Anyway, the ejections ended up energizing the Pirates, not the Dodgers. The bottom of the eighth saw Billingsley still in the game. He walked Jones leading off, then gave up an RBI double to Neil Walker to make it 2-1. Hong-Chih Kuo then entered, and 68-year-old Lyle Overbay lined an RBI double, followed by Ryan Doumit doing the same. Lo and behold, it was 4-1.
The Dodgers did put two on with one out in the ninth. But these are the Dodgers keep in mind, so nothing came of it as Joel Hanrahan earned his 11th save.
On one hand, I was glad to see some fire in these boys, as they have a tendency to slightly put people to sleep. OK, they are as flat out boring as they want to be. If Ethier and Kemp aren't getting hits, then you can forget about any excitement. It's just not going to happen.
Billingsley battled like crazy, and deserved a better fate then getting his second loss. He ended up going seven innings for seven hits, three runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. It's a shame he didn't get any support, but such is life with this team.
Kuo didn't look good at all, which unfortunately isn't very surprising these days. He does have an 11.57 ERA after all. Give credit to Mike MacDougal for getting three big outs to close the eighth to at least keep the game close. He's been excellent this year with a 1.46 ERA. Who would have thought that?
I'm not sure what the Dodgers can do to get their offense going. Rafael Furcal being injured (again) hurts. Guys like Uribe and Loney have got to do something. But then again, I've been saying this since the start of the season. I think the ship may have sailed on Loney. He shows absolutely nothing offensively that makes me think he can be a threat. And that's just the truth.
The Dodgers have three games left in Pittsburgh, and they're pretty big. Really, they are. If they lose a couple more, then that's another mediocre team they didn't beat. If they can't beat those types of teams, who can they beat? That's a scary thought.
Ted Lilly will get the call on Tuesday. He's in a slump himself, as he has yet to really find any consistency. He's definitely a control pitcher, so I guess he hasn't had much control yet. Let's hope that changes and fast.
Fresh off a win to avoid an embarrassing sweep against the Mets, Chad Billingsley took the mound and did everything he could to get two in a row. Unfortunately, a combination of bad hitting and bad luck prevented that from happening.
The Dodgers did score in the first. With one out, Aaron Miles singled, and Andre Ethier followed with another on a hit and run. Matt Kemp then struck out, setting it up for the ice cold Uribe. Finally, though, Uribe came through, this time with an RBI single for the 1-0 lead.
Andrew McCuthchen flashed some serious leather to stop any more runs from scoring in the third. With Miles on first and one out, Kemp lifted a long fly to deep center. McCutchen made a great catch at the wall, and doubled up Miles at first, who obviously thought it was going to land. The sad part is that would not be the last time the Dodgers would run into trouble on a catch in the outfield.
In the third, the Pirates got on the board. Ronny Cedeno singled leading off, and Jose Tabata walked with two down. That walk would hurt, as Garrett Jones's RBI single tied the game at 1-1.
The controversial call of the night occurred in the eighth. Kemp led off and was beaned. Uribe then hit a sinking liner to left in which Tabata made a sliding play on. Replays showed the ball bounce... but of course you can't look at the replay on plays like this, and sure enough, it was called an out. Kemp took off on the "hit" and was doubled off first.
Once the Dodgers returned to the field, a frustrated Uribe and Mattingly were ejected for arguing. I guess it's wrong to complain when you're right. Whatever.
Anyway, the ejections ended up energizing the Pirates, not the Dodgers. The bottom of the eighth saw Billingsley still in the game. He walked Jones leading off, then gave up an RBI double to Neil Walker to make it 2-1. Hong-Chih Kuo then entered, and 68-year-old Lyle Overbay lined an RBI double, followed by Ryan Doumit doing the same. Lo and behold, it was 4-1.
The Dodgers did put two on with one out in the ninth. But these are the Dodgers keep in mind, so nothing came of it as Joel Hanrahan earned his 11th save.
On one hand, I was glad to see some fire in these boys, as they have a tendency to slightly put people to sleep. OK, they are as flat out boring as they want to be. If Ethier and Kemp aren't getting hits, then you can forget about any excitement. It's just not going to happen.
Billingsley battled like crazy, and deserved a better fate then getting his second loss. He ended up going seven innings for seven hits, three runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. It's a shame he didn't get any support, but such is life with this team.
Kuo didn't look good at all, which unfortunately isn't very surprising these days. He does have an 11.57 ERA after all. Give credit to Mike MacDougal for getting three big outs to close the eighth to at least keep the game close. He's been excellent this year with a 1.46 ERA. Who would have thought that?
I'm not sure what the Dodgers can do to get their offense going. Rafael Furcal being injured (again) hurts. Guys like Uribe and Loney have got to do something. But then again, I've been saying this since the start of the season. I think the ship may have sailed on Loney. He shows absolutely nothing offensively that makes me think he can be a threat. And that's just the truth.
The Dodgers have three games left in Pittsburgh, and they're pretty big. Really, they are. If they lose a couple more, then that's another mediocre team they didn't beat. If they can't beat those types of teams, who can they beat? That's a scary thought.
Ted Lilly will get the call on Tuesday. He's in a slump himself, as he has yet to really find any consistency. He's definitely a control pitcher, so I guess he hasn't had much control yet. Let's hope that changes and fast.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Ethier sizzles as Dodgers whack Pirates
It was the Andre Ethier Show on Sunday in Dodger Stadium.
Ethier hit two home runs, his third straight game with a homer. Combined with eight strong innings from Hiroki Kuroda, and the Dodgers had more than enough to beat the Pirates, 9-3. The Dodgers took the final three games after dropping the first one on Thursday.
The Dodgers got things going in the second, starting with Matt Kemp's walk. James Loney laced a double to the gap in right center, and Kemp came all the way around to score and go up 1-0. After Loney advanced to third on Ronnie Belliard's groundout, Blake DeWitt began his four-hit day with an RBI double, putting the score at 2-0.
Ethier's first contribution to the day was in the third. Xavier Paul hit leadoff and again impressed, hitting a triple. An out later, Ethier's RBI single made it 3-0. The Pirates got one back on Andy LaRoche's RBI groundout in the fourth.
The fifth is when the Dodgers put the game out of reach. Paul again started a rally, singling to lead off. Ethier then stepped in with one out and hit another homer. Loney's RBI single made it 6-1, and the Dodgers never looked back.
DeWitt had his best day of the year as well. He hit a two-run double with two down in the seventh. His 4-for-4 effort pulled his average from .250 to .297 all in one day. I'd say that's a pretty good improvement.
Ethier's second home run of the day rounded out the scoring for the Dodgers. This was an absolute blast off of Joel Hanrahan in the eighth. It was quite an impressive line for Ethier: 3-for-5, two runs, four RBIs. He's got the third spot in the order on lockdown.
Had Ethier not gone crazy at the plate, then the story of the day would have been Kuroda. It was another stellar performance from him, as he went eight innings for five hits, one run, one walk, and five strikeouts. Once again, the key was his ability to throw strikes at any point. That's something Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are still working on.
The defensive play of the year for the Dodgers was also made in this game. With Andy LaRoche on first with one out in the seventh, Bobby Crosby lifted a soft fly ball to left. Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for Casey Blake, made a great over-the-head catch. He then threw all the way to first to double up LaRoche, with a stretching Loney getting the call. Fantastic play.
The only downside to the game was George Sherrill's atrocious work in the ninth. Asked to get the final three outs when up 9-1, Sherrill instead gave up two runs on a single, two doubles, and a walk. You would've thought it was Russ Ortiz out there in mop-up duty. Ronald Belisario had to get the final out, a flyout from Jeff Clement.
The Dodgers are still three games under .500 at 11-14, but this was a good series for them. Granted, the Pirates are still one of the worst teams in the league, but with the way the Dodgers played on the road, they'll take any win they can get. After getting shutout on Thursday, the Dodgers won the last three by a combined score of 20-6.
Monday is an off day, then the Brewers come in for three. Rafael Furcal should be making his return, which is a welcome sight over Jamey Carroll. Nothing against Carroll, but Raffy makes so many things happen when he's right. Clayton Kershaw goes in the first game.
Ethier hit two home runs, his third straight game with a homer. Combined with eight strong innings from Hiroki Kuroda, and the Dodgers had more than enough to beat the Pirates, 9-3. The Dodgers took the final three games after dropping the first one on Thursday.
The Dodgers got things going in the second, starting with Matt Kemp's walk. James Loney laced a double to the gap in right center, and Kemp came all the way around to score and go up 1-0. After Loney advanced to third on Ronnie Belliard's groundout, Blake DeWitt began his four-hit day with an RBI double, putting the score at 2-0.
Ethier's first contribution to the day was in the third. Xavier Paul hit leadoff and again impressed, hitting a triple. An out later, Ethier's RBI single made it 3-0. The Pirates got one back on Andy LaRoche's RBI groundout in the fourth.
The fifth is when the Dodgers put the game out of reach. Paul again started a rally, singling to lead off. Ethier then stepped in with one out and hit another homer. Loney's RBI single made it 6-1, and the Dodgers never looked back.
DeWitt had his best day of the year as well. He hit a two-run double with two down in the seventh. His 4-for-4 effort pulled his average from .250 to .297 all in one day. I'd say that's a pretty good improvement.
Ethier's second home run of the day rounded out the scoring for the Dodgers. This was an absolute blast off of Joel Hanrahan in the eighth. It was quite an impressive line for Ethier: 3-for-5, two runs, four RBIs. He's got the third spot in the order on lockdown.
Had Ethier not gone crazy at the plate, then the story of the day would have been Kuroda. It was another stellar performance from him, as he went eight innings for five hits, one run, one walk, and five strikeouts. Once again, the key was his ability to throw strikes at any point. That's something Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are still working on.
The defensive play of the year for the Dodgers was also made in this game. With Andy LaRoche on first with one out in the seventh, Bobby Crosby lifted a soft fly ball to left. Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for Casey Blake, made a great over-the-head catch. He then threw all the way to first to double up LaRoche, with a stretching Loney getting the call. Fantastic play.
The only downside to the game was George Sherrill's atrocious work in the ninth. Asked to get the final three outs when up 9-1, Sherrill instead gave up two runs on a single, two doubles, and a walk. You would've thought it was Russ Ortiz out there in mop-up duty. Ronald Belisario had to get the final out, a flyout from Jeff Clement.
The Dodgers are still three games under .500 at 11-14, but this was a good series for them. Granted, the Pirates are still one of the worst teams in the league, but with the way the Dodgers played on the road, they'll take any win they can get. After getting shutout on Thursday, the Dodgers won the last three by a combined score of 20-6.
Monday is an off day, then the Brewers come in for three. Rafael Furcal should be making his return, which is a welcome sight over Jamey Carroll. Nothing against Carroll, but Raffy makes so many things happen when he's right. Clayton Kershaw goes in the first game.
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